Where does “dreamless” come from?
Dreamless derives from English dream plus the Old English suffix -lēas (meaning "without"), which comes from Old English lēas, Proto-Germanic lausaz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European lewH-, while dream itself traces to Middle English dreme and Old English roots connected to Proto-Indo-European dʰrewgʰ- and dʰer-.
dreamless (English): Without dreams
Definitions
- Without dreams
Ancestry of “dreamless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dream | Imaginary events seen in the mind while sleeping;... |
| 2 | Middle English | drem | music; voice, conversing; joy, mirthfulness |
| 3 | Old Frisian | drēma | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *draumijan | to dream |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | draumijaną | to dream |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | draumaz | dream |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | draugmaz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰrowgʰ-mos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰrewgʰ- | to deceive, to mislead; to serve one's tribe;... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |