Where does “knobless” come from?

knobless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.

knobless (English): Without a knob

Definitions

  1. Without a knob

Ancestry of “knobless”, step by step

knobless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English less

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlessTo a smaller extent or degree; comparative form...
2Middle Englishlesfalse; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie
3Old Englishlēasfalse, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose...
4Proto-Germanic*laus

via English knob

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishknobA rounded protuberance, especially one arising...
2Middle Englishknobbeknob; lump, bump
3Middle Low Germanknobbelump, knot; knob; knot in wood

Words derived from “knobless

Every word from Proto-Germanic *laus