'unroaded' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'un-' and the noun 'road', where 'un-' meant 'not' and 'road' meant 'a way or path'.

'road' comes from Old English 'rād' (meaning 'ride, journey') and from Proto-Germanic *raidą; over time 'rād' developed into Middle English 'rod/rode' and the modern noun 'road', and in Modern English the negative prefix 'un-' and the adjectival suffix '-ed' combined with 'road' to form 'unroaded'.

Initially 'road' meant 'a ride or journey' (related to riding); over time it shifted to mean a physical way or path for travel, and 'unroaded' has the straightforward modern meaning 'not having roads'.