Where does “heartless” come from?
Heartless derives from Middle English hertles, from Old English heortlēas, literally "without heart" or "lacking courage."
heartless (English): Without courage; fearful, cowardly; Listless,...
Definitions
- Without courage; fearful, cowardly; Listless,...
Ancestry of “heartless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hertles | Having no bravery or showing cowardice; fearful;... |
| 2 | Old English | heortlēas | without courage; listless |
| 3 | Old English | -lēas | -less |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *-laus | without, -less |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -lausaz | -less, lacking, devoid of |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lausaz | loose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewH- | louse |