Where does “matchless” come from?
Matchless comes from Middle English maccheles, composed of Old English macche and -lēas (from lēas meaning lacking), ultimately deriving from Latin mica and Proto-Indo-European roots lewH- and mag-.
matchless (English): Having no match; without equal; Having no mate;...
Definitions
- Having no match; without equal; Having no mate;...
Ancestry of “matchless”, step by step
matchless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English match
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | match | A competitive sporting event such as a boxing... |
| 2 | Middle English | macche | A bride or mate; a romantic or sexual partner |
| 3 | Old English | ġemæċċa | — |
| 4 | Old English | ġemaca | a mate, an equal, companion, peer; companion,... |
| 5 | Old English | ġe- | used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating completeness or perfection |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | ga- | used as an intensifier for verbs, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via English makeless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | makeless | Matchless, without equal, peerless; Without a... |
| 2 | Middle English | makeles | matchless, without equal, peerless |
| 3 | Middle English | make | Alternative form of maken; easy |
| 4 | Middle English | maken | To make or create; to have something made |
| 5 | Old English | macian | to make |
| 6 | Emilian | mâcia | spot, stain |
| 7 | Latin | Macula | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | smh₁-tleh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | smeh₁- | smear, rub |