Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “defenseless” come from?

Defenseless comes from English defense plus the Old English suffix -lēas meaning "without," ultimately from Latin defendo meaning "to ward off" and the prefix de-.

defenseless (English): Lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to...

Definitions

  1. Lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to...

Ancestry of “defenseless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdefenseThe action of defending or protecting from...
2Middle Englishdefensthe act of defending
3Old Frenchdefens—
4Late Latindefensaprotection; bounded, defended; defence
5Latindefensusdriven away, having been driven away; defended,...
6Latindēfendō—
7Latindē-—
8Latindē—
9Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
10Latinposteablative singular of postis
11Proto-Italicposti—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

Words derived from “defenseless”

  • defenselessness
  • defenselessly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →