Where does “fathomless” come from?
Fathomless is a compound of English fathom and Middle English -les (from Old English -lēas, from Proto-Germanic faþmaz meaning "embrace" or "span of outstretched arms," and Proto-Indo-European pat- and lewH- meaning "to spread" and "to loosen," respectively).
fathomless (English): Very deep (especially of water deeper than a lead line can measure); bottomless, immeasurable
Definitions
- Very deep (especially of water deeper than a lead line can measure); bottomless, immeasurable
Ancestry of “fathomless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -less | (something); without (something). Added usually to a noun to form an adjective signifying a lack of that noun |
| 2 | Middle English | -les | Lacking (something); without (something) |
| 3 | Turkish | -le | with, shortened form of ile; by, shortened form... |
| 4 | Turkish | ile | with; and |
| 5 | Ottoman Turkish | ایله | by |
| 6 | Old Anatolian Turkish | اِیلَه | — |
| 7 | Proto-Turkic | bile | with, together, also |