Where does “letterlessness” come from?
letterlessness (English) comes from English letterless, from English letter, from Middle English letter, from Old French letre, from Latin littera, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...
letterlessness (English): Absence of letters
Definitions
- Absence of letters
Ancestry of “letterlessness”, step by step
letterlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English letterless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | letterless | Without the presence or use of alphabetical... |
| 2 | English | letter | A symbol in an alphabet; A written or printed... |
| 3 | Middle English | letter | — |
| 4 | Old French | letre | letter |
| 5 | Latin | littera | a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,... |
| 6 | Latin | lītera | — |
| 7 | Old Latin | leitera | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂leyH- | to smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leyh₂- | to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,... |
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 |