Where does “chieflessness” come from?
chieflessness (English) comes from English chiefless, from English chief, from Middle English chef, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capum, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput — to seize, hold.
chieflessness (English): Absence of a chief
Definitions
- Absence of a chief
Ancestry of “chieflessness”, step by step
chieflessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English chiefless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chiefless | Without a chief; leaderless |
| 2 | English | chief | A leader or head of a group of people,... |
| 3 | Middle English | chef | A leader, boss, or director; a chief official;... |
| 4 | Old French | chief | head; leader, chief; front |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | capum | head, chief; head |
| 6 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |