unfound

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English

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Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -aʊnd

Etymology 1

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From un- +‎ found (discovered).

Adjective

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unfound (not comparable)

  1. Not found.

Etymology 2

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From un- +‎ found (establish).

Verb

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unfound (third-person singular simple present unfounds, present participle unfounding, simple past and past participle unfounded)

  1. (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

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Back-formation from unfounded.

Verb

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unfound (third-person singular simple present unfounds, present participle unfounding, simple past and past participle unfounded)

  1. 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.)