Where does “helmlessness” come from?
helmlessness (English) comes from English helmless, from English helm, from German helm, from Middle High German helm, from Old High German helm, from Proto-West Germanic helm, from Proto-Germanic helmaz, from Proto-Germanic halmaz — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.
helmlessness (English): Absence of a helm
Definitions
- Absence of a helm
Ancestry of “helmlessness”, step by step
helmlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English helmless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | helmless | Without a helm |
| 2 | English | helm | The steering apparatus of a ship, especially the... |
| 3 | German | helm | helmet |
| 4 | Middle High German | helm | stalk |
| 5 | Old High German | helm | helmet |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | helm | helmet |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |