Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dirtless” come from?

dirtless (English) comes from English dirt, from Middle English drit, from Old Norse drit, from Proto-Germanic dritą, from Proto-Germanic drītaną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰreyd- — to have diarrhea.

dirtless (English): Free of dirt

Definitions

  1. Free of dirt

Ancestry of “dirtless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdirtSoil or earth; A stain or spot ; any foreign...
2Middle Englishdritexcrement
3Old Norsedritexcrement
4Proto-Germanicdritąshit, excrement
5Proto-Germanicdrītanąto defecate; to urinate
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰreyd-to have diarrhea
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰreyd- →