Where does “cheerless” come from?
Cheerless comes from English cheer combined with the English suffix -less, with cheer deriving from Middle English chere, from Old French chiere, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂-.
cheerless (English): Devoid of cheer; gloomy
Ancestry of “cheerless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cheer | A cheerful attitude; happiness; a good, happy, or... |
| 2 | Middle English | chere | state of mind as indicated by facial expression;... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | chere | — |
| 4 | Old French | chiere | face; oblique/nominative feminine singular of... |
| 5 | Latin | cara | nominative feminine singular of cārus; nominative... |
| 6 | Latin | cārus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kāros | dear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kéh₂ros | loved; dear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂- | to desire, wish |
Words derived from “cheerless”