Where does “lossless” come from?

Lossless derives from English loss, from Middle English -les, from Old Norse lauss meaning loose or free, from Latin laus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lēw- meaning to loosen or separate.

lossless (English): free from loss, especially not losing electrical...

Definitions

  1. free from loss, especially not losing electrical...

Ancestry of “lossless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-less(something); without (something). Added usually to a noun to form an adjective signifying a lack of that noun
2Middle English-lesLacking (something); without (something)
3Turkish-lewith, shortened form of ile; by, shortened form...
4Turkishilewith; and
5Ottoman Turkishایلهby
6Old Anatolian Turkishاِیلَه
7Proto-Turkicbilewith, together, also

Words derived from “lossless

Every word from Proto-Turkic bileEvery word from English -lessEvery word from Middle English -les
lossless — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer