Where does “leechless” come from?
leechless (English) comes from English leech, from Middle English leche, from Old English lǣċe, from Proto-West Germanic lākī, from Proto-Germanic lēkijaz, from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- — to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...
leechless (English): Without leeches
Definitions
- Without leeches
Ancestry of “leechless”, step by step
leechless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English leech
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | leech | An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class... |
| 2 | Middle English | leche | physician; leachate; sluggish stream; doctor,... |
| 3 | Old English | lǣċe | doctor, physician; blood-sucking worm; muddy... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lākī | doctor, physician |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lēkijaz | doctor, physician |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |