In which we are baffled again by our own language, yes

[desperance]

It's not the first example one ever comes across, but for some reason this morning it just hit me harder than most: how in the world does "unloose" come to mean the same as "loose" (in the loosen/let loose/make looser sense)?

Comments

[movingfinger]

I would guess off the cuff (am guessing off the cuff) that the un- was originally an en-, an intensifier rather than the Latin negator.