Where does “laughless” come from?

laughless (English) comes from English laugh, from Middle English laughen, from Old English hlæhhan, from Proto-West Germanic hlahhjan, from Proto-Germanic hlahjaną, from Proto-Indo-European klek- — to laugh, cackle.

laughless (English): Devoid of laughs

Definitions

  1. Devoid of laughs

Ancestry of “laughless”, step by step

laughless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English laugh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlaughAn expression of mirth particular to the human...
2Middle EnglishlaughenTo laugh; to break out in laughter or laughing;...
3Old Englishhlæhhan—
4Proto-West Germanichlahhjanto laugh
5Proto-Germanichlahjanąto laugh
6Proto-Indo-Europeanklek-to laugh, cackle

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—

Words derived from “laughless”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European klek- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hlahjaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hlahhjan →