Where does “defenselessly” come from?
defenselessly (English) comes from English defenseless, from English defense, 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.
defenselessly (English): In a defenseless manner
Ancestry of “defenselessly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | defenseless | Lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to... |
| 2 | English | defense | The action of defending or 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 | — |
| 8 | Latin | dē- | — |
| 9 | Latin | dē | — |
| 10 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 11 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | posti | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |