Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nestless” come from?

nestless (English) comes from English nest, from Middle English nest, from Old English nēst, from Old English nīehst, from Proto-West Germanic **nāhwist(ō), from Proto-Germanic nēhwist, from Proto-Germanic nēhw, from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz — to reach, to attain.

nestless (English): Without a nest

Definitions

  1. Without a nest

Ancestry of “nestless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnestA structure built by a bird as a place to...
2Middle Englishnest—
3Old Englishnēst—
4Old Englishnīehstnearest, next
5Proto-West Germanic**nāhwist(ō)—
6Proto-Germanicnēhwistnearest, closest
7Proto-Germanicnēhwnear, close
8Proto-Germanicnēhwaznear, close
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂nḗḱwos—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂neḱ-to reach, to attain
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- →