Where does “offenceless” come from?

offenceless (English) comes from English offence, from Old French offense, from Latin offēnsā, from Latin offenso, from Latin offendō, from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.

offenceless (English): Alternative form of offenseless

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of offenseless

Ancestry of “offenceless”, step by step

offenceless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English offence

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoffenceBritain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada...
2Old Frenchoffense
3Latinoffēnsāoffense, violation of law
4LatinoffensoI strike or dash against; I falter, stumble over...
5Latinoffendōto hit, thrust, strike against something
6Latinob-towards; against
7Latinobolusobolus (Greek coin)
8Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
9Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
10Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
11Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos
12Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

via English less

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlessTo a smaller extent or degree; comparative form...
2Middle Englishlesfalse; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie
3Old Englishlēasfalse, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose...
4Proto-Germanic*laus

Words derived from “offenceless

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH-