Where does “odourless” come from?
Odourless derives from Middle English -les and Old English -lēas, suffixes meaning "without," combined with Latin odor, "smell," which traces to Proto-Indo-European h₃ed-, meaning "to smell."
odourless (English): Having no odour
Definitions
- Having no odour
Ancestry of “odourless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | odour | Alternative form of odor |
| 2 | Middle English | odour | A smell or scent; a nasal sensation; A sensation... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | odour | — |
| 4 | Old French | odor | smell |
| 5 | Latin | odor | A smell, perfume, stench; Inkling, suggestion |
| 6 | Latin | odōs | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | odōs | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃édos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ed- | to smell, stink; to hate; to bite |