Where does “colorless” come from?
Colorless derives from Middle English -les, Old English -lēas, and Latin color, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- meaning to conceal or hide.
colorless (English): US standard spelling of colourless
Definitions
- US standard spelling of colourless
Ancestry of “colorless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | color | The spectral composition of visible light; A... |
| 2 | French | couleur | color, colour; a flush; suit |
| 3 | Italian | colore | color, colour; hue; pip |
| 4 | Polish | kolor | colour; suit; flush |
| 5 | Latin | color | colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |