Where does “liceless” come from?

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

liceless (English): Without lice

Definitions

  1. Without lice

Ancestry of “liceless”, step by step

liceless 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 lice

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishliceplural of louse
2Middle Englishlysplural of lous
3Old Englishlȳs—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *laus →Every word from Old English lēas →Every word from Middle English les →