Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clerkless” come from?

clerkless (English) comes from English clerk, from Middle English clerc, from Old English clerc, from Latin clēricus, from Ancient Greek κληρικός, from Ancient Greek -ικός, from Ancient Greek -κός, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

clerkless (English): Without clerks; uneducated

Definitions

  1. Without clerks; uneducated

Ancestry of “clerkless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclerkOne who occupationally works with records,...
2Middle Englishclerca clergyman, usually in Christianity
3Old Englishclercclergyman, clerk
4Latinclēricus—
5Ancient Greekκληρικόςof or pertaining to clergy; clerical; clergyman
6Ancient Greek-ικόςof or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic
7Ancient Greek-κόςforms adjectives with the sense of 'of or...
8Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →