Where does “gayless” come from?
gayless (English) comes from English Gay, from English Queen, from Middle English quene, from Old English cwene, from Old English cwēn, from Proto-West Germanic kwāni, from Proto-Germanic kwēniz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn — woman.
gayless (English): Lacking gaiety; gloomy; somber; drab; Without gay...
Definitions
- Lacking gaiety; gloomy; somber; drab; Without gay...
Ancestry of “gayless”, step by step
gayless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Gay
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Gay | originally a nickname for a cheerful or lively person |
| 2 | English | Queen | A title used before the personal name of a queen |
| 3 | Middle English | quene | A queen; Any powerful woman noble; A female... |
| 4 | Old English | cwene | a woman; inflection of cwēn: ##... |
| 5 | Old English | cwēn | queen; woman, wife, queen |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | kwāni | woman, wife |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | kwēniz | wife |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷḗn | woman |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷen- | woman |