Unlocked

How to spell unlocked

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce unlocked

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unlocked mean?

1. verbOpened or released the lock or fastening on something, in the past tense.
2. adjectiveNot fastened or secured; in an open, accessible state.

Unlocked in a sentence

• verb

  She unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

• adjective

  The car was left unlocked in the car park overnight.

• verb

  The night porter unlocked the gate at dawn.

• adjective

  An unlocked phone can be used on any network.

Where does unlocked come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The core of this word is 'lock', which comes from the Old English 'loc', meaning a fastening, bolt, or enclosure; the same Germanic root also gave English words for a barrier and an enclosed place. The prefix 'un-' is a native Old English element that signals reversal or undoing of an action, and when joined to a verb it produces the opposite, so 'unlock' literally means to undo a fastening. The '-ed' ending is the regular Old English past tense and past participle marker, still the workhorse suffix for forming the past in modern English. Because every part of the word is plainly visible and native, the spelling holds few surprises: it is simply un + lock + ed with no doubled letters and no silent traps. The figurative use, as in unlocking potential or unlocking a phone, grew naturally from the literal idea of opening something that was shut.

How the word is built

• un- (reversal/negation)
• lock (from Old English loc: a fastening)
• -ed (past tense / past participle)