Where does “cloveless” come from?

cloveless (English) comes from English clove, from Middle English clove, from Middle English clowe, from Old French clou, from Latin clāvus, from Proto-Italic klāwos, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kleh₂w-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

cloveless (English): Without cloves

Definitions

  1. Without cloves

Ancestry of “cloveless”, step by step

cloveless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English clove

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcloveA very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded...
2Middle Englishcloveclove; Alternative form of clowe; Alternative...
3Middle EnglishcloweA clove; Alternative form of clove; Alternative...
4Old Frenchclou
5Latinclāvusa nail (metal spike)
6Proto-Italicklāwoscapable of closing something
7Proto-Indo-European(s)kleh₂w-a hook, crook, peg
8Proto-Indo-European(s)kel-to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...

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 (s)kel-