Where does “mightlessness” come from?
mightlessness (English) comes from English mightless, from Middle English mightles, from Old English mihtlēas, from Old English miht, from Old English mieht, from Old English meaht, from Old English maht, from Germanic *mahti — to be able.
mightlessness (English): Absence of might or power
Definitions
- Absence of might or power
Ancestry of “mightlessness”, step by step
mightlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mightless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mightless | Lacking in might or vigour; powerless; weak |
| 2 | Middle English | mightles | — |
| 3 | Old English | mihtlēas | mightless, weak, powerless, impotent; without might or power |
| 4 | Old English | miht | power, ability; strength, power |
| 5 | Old English | mieht | — |
| 6 | Old English | meaht | Alternative form of miht; second-person singular... |
| 7 | Old English | maht | — |
| 8 | Germanic | *mahti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | mahtiz | power, ability; strength, force |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | mahtuz | might, power |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | mógʰtis | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | meǵʰ- | to be able |
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 |