Where does “clewless” come from?

clewless (English) comes from English clew, from Middle English clew, from Old English clēowen, from Proto-Germanic kliuwiną, from Proto-Indo-European glew-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.

clewless (English): Without a clew

Definitions

  1. Without a clew

Ancestry of “clewless”, step by step

clewless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English clew

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclewA roughly spherical mass or body; A ball of...
2Middle EnglishclewAlternative form of clewe
3Old Englishclēowen—
4Proto-Germanickliuwiną—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanglew-Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow

via English less

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlessTo a smaller extent or degree; comparative form...
2Middle Englishlesfalse; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie
3Old Englishlēasfalse, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose...
4Proto-Germanic*laus—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- →