Where does “mindless” come from?
Mindless comes from Old English myndlēas, a compound of mynd (memory, mind) and lēas (lacking, without).
mindless (English): Showing a lack of forethought or sense; Having no...
Definitions
- Showing a lack of forethought or sense; Having no...
Ancestry of “mindless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | myndles | — |
| 2 | Old English | myndlēas | senseless, foolish |
| 3 | Old English | mynd | mind |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gamundiz | remembrance, memory; commemoration, memorial |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 8 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 9 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 10 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 11 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |