unfound
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Adjective edit
unfound (not comparable)
- Not found.
Etymology 2 edit
Verb edit
unfound (third-person singular simple present unfounds, present participle unfounding, simple past and past participle unfounded)
- (rare) To disestablish; to undo the founding of.
- 2014, Jason Colavito, Jason and the Argonauts through the Ages, McFarland, →ISBN:
- The Etruscans and Romans practiced destructive rituals to deconsecrate temples and “unfound” cities. Such practices were necessary to remove an old god from his or her temple when rededicating a site to a new deity.
Etymology 3 edit
Back-formation from unfounded.
Verb edit
unfound (third-person singular simple present unfounds, present participle unfounding, simple past and past participle unfounded)
- To dismiss a criminal charge as unfounded.
- Synonym: (UK) no-crime
- 2017 February 3, Robyn Doolittle, “Unfounded: Why Police Dismiss 1 in 5 Sexual Assault Claims as Baseless”, in The Globe and Mail:
- Manitoba had the second-lowest provincial rate, and Winnipeg police unfounded only 2 per cent of allegations. (Police and other experts who deal with the issue routinely use “unfound” as a verb.)