Where does “motherlessness” come from?
motherlessness (English) comes from English motherless, from Middle English moderles, from Old English mōdorlēas, from Proto-Germanic mōdērlausaz, from Proto-Germanic -lausaz, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.
motherlessness (English): The state or condition of being motherless
Definitions
- The state or condition of being motherless
Ancestry of “motherlessness”, step by step
motherlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English motherless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | motherless | Without a mother; Without mother; Without a... |
| 2 | Middle English | moderles | motherless |
| 3 | Old English | mōdorlēas | motherless |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mōdērlausaz | without a mother |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -lausaz | -less, lacking, devoid of |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lausaz | loose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewH- | louse |
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 |