Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “breathlessly” come from?

Breathlessly derives from English breathless, formed from Old English breath and the suffix -lēas meaning "without," ultimately tracing through Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots relating to carrying and motion.

breathlessly (English): In a breathless manner, usually due to...

Definitions

  1. In a breathless manner, usually due to...

Ancestry of “breathlessly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbreathlessHaving difficulty breathing; gasping; That makes...
2English-lessLacking ; without . Added usually to a noun to...
3Middle English-lesLacking ; without
4Turkish-lewith, shortened form of ile; by, shortened form...
5Turkishilewith; and
6Ottoman Turkishایله—
7Old Anatolian Turkishاِیلَه—
8Proto-Turkicbilewith, together, also
Every word from Proto-Turkic bile →