Unitary

How to spell unitary

7 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce unitary

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unitary mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to, forming, or based on a single unit or undivided whole, often describing a centralised system.

Unitary in a sentence

• The reforms replaced the two councils with a single unitary authority.

• A unitary state keeps power concentrated in one central government rather than dividing it between regions.

Where does unitary come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin unus, meaning simply 'one', which gave rise to the noun unitas, meaning 'oneness' or 'unity'. From unitas scholars formed the Late Latin unitarius, describing something marked by a single, undivided whole. English adopted the form 'unitary' in the early nineteenth century, largely through scientific and political writing where a single, central, or indivisible quality needed naming. The very same unus root sits inside familiar relatives such as 'unit', 'unify', 'union', and 'unique', and keeping that 'unit' core visible is the easiest way to remember the spelling. The ending -ary, meaning 'relating to', is the same suffix found in 'ordinary' and 'primary', which is why the word closes with -ary rather than -ery.

How the word is built

• unit (from Latin unus: one)
• -ary (adjective suffix meaning 'relating to')