Disinterest (pronounced dis-in-trist (U) or dis-in-ter-ist (non-U))
A
freedom from bias or involvement; the absence of any conflict of interest.
1605–15:
The construct was dis- + interest. The
prefix dis was from the Middle
English dis-, from the Old French des from the Latin dis, from the proto-Italic dwis, from the primitive Indo-European dwís and cognate with the Ancient Greek
δίς (dís) and the Sanskrit द्विस् (dvis).
It was applied variously as an intensifier of words with negative valence
and to render the senses “incorrect”, “to fail (to)”, “not” &
“against”. In Modern English, the rules
applying to the dis prefix vary and
when attached to a verbal root, prefixes often change the first vowel (whether
initial or preceded by a consonant/consonant cluster) of that verb. These
phonological changes took place in Latin and usually do not apply to words
created (as in Modern Latin) from Latin components since the language was
classified as “dead”. The combination of
prefix and following vowel did not always yield the same change and these
changes in vowels are not necessarily particular to being prefixed with dis (ie other prefixes sometimes cause
the same vowel change (con; ex)). The
verb interest is from the Middle English interest, from Old French interesse & interest (intérêt in
modern French), from the Medieval Latin
interesse, from the Classical Latin interesse
(to concern, to be between). "The
original meaning from circa 1600 was “cause to be interested, engage the
attention of”, was based on the earlier (1560s) interesse, from the noun and may have been at least influenced by interess'd, past participle of interesse. In other contexts, interest can mean “having
a stake in or money involved in something, or “charges payable under the terms
of usury (borrowing money).
Disinterest
is a verb (used with object) although the cost commonly used derived form is
probably the seventeenth century adjective “disinterested” (Having no stake or
interest in the outcome; free of bias, impartial (and technically a corruption
of the adjectives disinterest & disinteressed)). Disinterest should be associated with words
like neutrality, impassivity, detachment, dispassion, impartiality &
nonpartisanship.
Uninterest (pronounced un-in-trist
(U) or uhn-in-ter-ist (non-U))
A lack
of interest in something; indifference.
1890–1895:
The construct was un + interest. The prefix –un was from
the Middle English un-, from the Old
English un-, from the Proto-West
Germanic un-, from the Proto-Germanic
un-, from the primitive Indo-European
n̥-. It was
cognate with the Scots un- & on-, the North Frisian ün-, the Saterland Frisian uun-, the West Frisian ûn- & on-, the Dutch on-, the Low German un- & on-, the German
un-, the Danish u-, the Swedish o-, the
Norwegian u- and the Icelandic ó-.
It was (distantly) related to the Latin in- and the Ancient Greek ἀ-
(a-), source of the English a-, the
Modern Greek α- (a-) and the Sanskrit अ-
(a-).
Dating
from the 1660s, the adjective interested was first vested with the now familiar
meaning (characterized by concern or sympathy), as the past-participle
adjective from the verb interest. From
1828 it picked up the sense (having an interest or stake (in something) which
has since lent confusion to the uninterest / disinterest thing; the sense "motivated
by self-interest" attested since 1705 and may be a back-formation from
disinterested. Although it’s clumsy
enough to be rare, the noun interestedness (the state or quality of being
interested, or having an interest; selfishness) really does exist; fortunately,
it not often comes up in conversation.
Uninterest should be associated with words like aloofness, coldness,
coolness, detachment, disregard, indifference & lassitude.
Some of the vendettas run by the grammar Nazis against contemporary practices (eg the refusal to accept the meaning of the word “decimate” has changed and that those reading histories of the Punic Wars are unlikely to be confused) but the insistence on differentiating between “disinterest” and “uninterest” is a campaign worth or support. Historically, "disinterested" has had two meanings, the first and still most widely accepted being “impartial; unbiased by personal interest or advantage” and most associated with judges or those who sit on deliberative tribunals (the practical mechanism being the "apprehended bias" test which is a determination of whether a perception of bias might reasonably be inferred from a judge's past comments, conduct or circle of acquaintances). The second meaning is “having or showing no feeling of interest; indifferent”. In other words, to ensure the fairness of a trial, judges should be disinterested in the matters before them but certainly not uninterested. Both senses are long established in all varieties of English but disinterested is often used to mean “not interested” although uninterested seems rarely misused, presumably because disinterested is the more effortlessly economical form and uninterested that bit more clumsy. Unlike something like “notorious” which is one of those annoying words with one spelling & pronunciation yet two distinct meanings which cannot always be resolved through context, English has given us disinterest & uninterest and so they should both be used in their separate, allocated meanings, thereby eliminating any ambiguity.
Some word nerds, most of
whom seem to believe the distinction between the two worth preserving, believe
the battle is lost but that the linguistic causalities will be light, in instances
where such things matter (usually in courts of law) few likely to be troubled
by the mistake which mentally they’ll correct and move on. Even some once rigorously dictionaries seem
to have given up and accepted descriptive reality, the Macmillan saying only “Many people think that this use of the word
is not correct” and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in one edition was
prepared only to muse it was "Often
regarded as a loose use." Merriam-Webster's
Dictionary of English Usage noted the a long history of overlapping use, “uninterested”
originally meaning what the more fastidious now insist “disinterested” is
supposed to mean today, the distinction emerging only in American English in
the 1800s. Merriam-Webster conclusion was that “disinterested” has taken on an additional
but "uninterested" still means only what it always has which seems a
dismally defeatist position for a dictionary to adopt.
