Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chapless” come from?

chapless (English) comes from English chap, from English Chapman, from Middle English chapman, from Old English cēapmann, from Old English cēap, from Proto-Germanic kaupōną, from Proto-Germanic kaupô, from Latin caupo.

chapless (English): Having no lower jaw; fleshless; HAMLET; Why, e'en...

Definitions

  1. Having no lower jaw; fleshless; HAMLET; Why, e'en...

Ancestry of “chapless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchapA man, a fellow; A customer, a buyer; A child
2EnglishChapman—
3Middle Englishchapman—
4Old Englishcēapmanndealer
5Old Englishcēapcattle, purchase, sale, traffic, business,...
6Proto-Germanickaupōnąto buy; trade
7Proto-Germanickaupôinnkeeper; merchant
8LatincaupoTradesman; Innkeeper, shopkeeper
9Proto-Indo-Europeankaup-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kaup- →