raw

The word "raw" traces back to Old English hrēaw, meaning "uncooked" or "unripe." It shares roots with Old Norse hrár and Dutch rauw, all pointing to the Proto-Germanic khrawaz. The core idea of "rawness" has persisted through time, consistently describing things in their untreated, natural, or unfinished state—whether food, materials, or even human skill. Unlike many words that split into prefixes/roots/suffixes, "raw" remains a compact, indivisible unit in modern English, reflecting its ancient Germanic origins.