'unpoetic' originates from the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' and the word 'poetic', which comes from the Greek word 'poietikos', meaning 'pertaining to poetry'.

'poietikos' transformed into the Latin word 'poeticus', and eventually became the modern English word 'poetic', with 'un-' added to form 'unpoetic'.

Initially, 'poietikos' meant 'pertaining to poetry', and 'unpoetic' has retained the meaning of 'not having poetic qualities'.