Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “homeless” come from?

Homeless comes from Middle English homles, from Old English hāmlēas, a compound of hām (home) and lēas (lacking).

homeless (English): Lacking a permanent place of residence

Definitions

  1. Lacking a permanent place of residence

Ancestry of “homeless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishhomles—
2Old Englishhāmlēashomeless
3Old Englishhāmhome; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,...
4Proto-West Germanichaimhome
5Proto-Germanichaimazhome; house; village
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱóymosof the home, belonging to the family; village,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱey-to be lying down; to settle

Words derived from “homeless”

  • homelessness
  • nonhomeless
  • homelessly
  • antihomeless
  • antihomelessness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- →