Where does “værgeløs” come from?
værgeløs (Danish) comes from Danish løs, from Danish losse, from Dutch lossen, from Dutch -en, from Middle Dutch -en, from Old Dutch -en, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
værgeløs (Danish): defenceless (UK), or defenseless (US), vulnerable, unprotected
Definitions
- defenceless (UK), or defenseless (US), vulnerable, unprotected
Ancestry of “værgeløs”, step by step
værgeløs traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Danish løs
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | løs | loose, not tight |
| 2 | Danish | losse | to unload, discharge cargo |
| 3 | Dutch | lossen | to unload; to dump |
| 4 | Dutch | -en | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives. The stem... |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | -en | The ending of the infinitive form of verbs, used... |
| 6 | Old Dutch | -en | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via Danish værge
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | værge | guardian of a child or incompetent adult |
| 2 | Old Danish | wæriæ | — |
| 3 | Old Norse | verja | to defend; thwart; defense |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | warjaną | to ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |