Where does “coffinless” come from?
coffinless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
coffinless (English): Without a coffin
Ancestry of “coffinless”, step by step
coffinless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English less
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | less | To a smaller extent or degree; comparative form... |
| 2 | Middle English | les | false; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie |
| 3 | Old English | lēas | false, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *laus | — |
via English Coffin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Coffin | A closed box in which the body of a dead person is placed for burial |
| 2 | Middle English | coffyn | basket; box, container; coffer, strongbox |
| 3 | Old Northern French | cofin | sarcophagus", earlier "basket, coffer |