Where does “defencelessness” come from?
defencelessness (English) comes from English defenceless, from English defence, from Middle English defens, from Old French defens, from Late Latin defensa, from Latin defensus, from Latin dēfendō, from Latin dē- — afterwards, post; by, at.
defencelessness (English): The state or condition of being defenceless
Definitions
- The state or condition of being defenceless
Ancestry of “defencelessness”, step by step
defencelessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English defenceless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | defenceless | Without defence; undefended |
| 2 | English | defence | The action of defending, of protecting from... |
| 3 | Middle English | defens | the act of defending |
| 4 | Old French | defens | — |
| 5 | Late Latin | defensa | protection; bounded, defended; defence |
| 6 | Latin | defensus | driven away, having been driven away; defended,... |
| 7 | Latin | dēfendō | to drive away |
| 8 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 9 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 10 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 11 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |