Where does “bleachless” come from?

bleachless (English) comes from English bleach, from Middle English bleche, from Old English blǣċ, from Proto-Germanic blaikaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰloyǵ-os, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- — to shine.

bleachless (English): Without bleach

Definitions

  1. Without bleach

Ancestry of “bleachless”, step by step

bleachless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bleach

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbleachPale; bleak; To treat with bleach, especially so...
2Middle Englishbleche—
3Old Englishblǣċ—
4Proto-Germanicblaikazpale, white
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰloyǵ-os—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleyǵ-to shine

via English less

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlessTo a smaller extent or degree; comparative form...
2Middle Englishlesfalse; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie
3Old Englishlēasfalse, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose...
4Proto-Germanic*laus—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰleyǵ- →
bleachless — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer