Where does “gleeless” come from?
gleeless (English) comes from English Glee, from Middle English gle, from Old Norse gleðja, from Old Norse -ja, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.
gleeless (English): Devoid of glee
Definitions
- Devoid of glee
Ancestry of “gleeless”, step by step
gleeless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Glee
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Glee | Joy; happiness; great delight, especially from one's own good fortune or from another's misfortune |
| 2 | Middle English | gle | — |
| 3 | Old Norse | gleðja | to gladden, to make glad |
| 4 | Old Norse | -ja | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |