Where does “nestlessness” come from?
nestlessness (English) comes from English nestless, 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 — to reach, to attain.
nestlessness (English): Absence of nests
Definitions
- Absence of nests
Ancestry of “nestlessness”, step by step
nestlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nestless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nestless | Without a nest |
| 2 | English | nest | A structure built by a bird as a place to... |
| 3 | Middle English | nest | nest |
| 4 | Old English | nēst | nest |
| 5 | Old English | nīehst | nearest, next |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | **nāhwist(ō) | nearest, closest |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwist | nearest, closest |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | nēhw | near, close |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwaz | near, close |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂nḗḱwos | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂neḱ- | to reach, to attain |
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 |