# Meaning of "uncanny"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 11, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623 "2005-02-11T18:24:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623/1 "2005-02-11T18:24:56Z")

</div>

How did “uncanny” come to mean “of supernatural origin”? Just looking at the word, I should have thought that it would mean “guileless.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623/2 "2005-02-11T20:02:41Z")

</div>

Derived from the Scottish word, ‘unco’, which is synonymous with “weird.” [Cite.](http://www.answers.com/uncanny&r=67)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623/3 "2005-02-11T21:18:44Z")

</div>

> [@Askia](#):
>
> Derived from the Scottish word, ‘unco’, which is synonymous with “weird.” [Cite.](http://www.answers.com/uncanny&r=67)

No. The cite says it’s _synonymous_ with “unco,” which is derived from “uncouth.”

“Can,” in the sense “to know,” is derived from the same root as “ken” (to know) and “know.” The meaning of “uncanny” is “not known/not knowable” as in “not possible to figure out,” hence mysterious/unfamiliar/supernatural/weird.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623/4 "2005-02-11T23:51:27Z")

</div>

The OED says nothing about _unco_, but it does say that the word _uncanny_ is almost certainly from Scots. It’s first appearance is cited thusly:

> [@](#):
>
> 1596 DALRYMPLE tr. Leslie’s Hist. Scotl. II. 58 Sum now, vncannie sawers, sew sum causes of contentioun betuene the Chanceller and the Gouernour.

Father James Dalrymple translated into Scots language a Latin work by John Leslie(1578) about the history of Scotland.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623/5 "2005-02-12T03:00:13Z")

</div>

It’s also the opposite of Canny, which means conventional, prudent, safe. Neither “canny” nor “uncanny” has a particularly negative connotation

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623/6 "2005-02-12T23:48:03Z")

</div>

> [@Krokodil](#):
>
> It’s also the opposite of Canny, which means conventional, prudent, safe.

All the same, though, watch out for those canny bulls. 😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-uncanny/289623/7 "2005-02-13T02:41:59Z")

</div>

Re: uncanny.

It’s often used as a translation for the German word _unheimlich_, which means “not at home,” or uncomfortable.

ZJ