Uncut

How to spell uncut

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce uncut

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does uncut mean?

1. adjectiveNot divided, trimmed, or shortened with a blade or tool.
2. adjectiveOf a film, recording, or text: complete and not shortened by an editor or censor.

Uncut in a sentence

• The loaf was sold uncut so we could slice it ourselves.

• The studio released the uncut version of the film on disc.

• Long stretches of uncut grass lined the country lane.

• Fans waited years for the director's uncut edit.

Where does uncut come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent compound of the prefix un-, an Old English negating element meaning 'not', joined to 'cut', a verb that appears in Middle English around the 1200s with the sense of dividing or wounding with a sharp edge. The verb 'cut' itself is of uncertain ultimate origin, possibly linked to a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse and Old Swedish words for whittling or notching, since no clear Old English ancestor survives in writing. By stacking the native prefix on the past participle, English produced an adjective meaning simply 'not cut', a pattern it has used freely for centuries (unbroken, unspoiled, unmade). Later the word picked up specialised uses, such as a film that has not been trimmed by censors or an editor, and a gemstone that has not been shaped, both flowing naturally from the literal idea. Because every part is plain and the prefix is never doubled, the spelling holds no real trap beyond remembering it is a single solid word.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• cut (past participle of the verb cut)