Where does “pactless” come from?
pactless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
pactless (English): Without a pact
Ancestry of “pactless”, step by step
pactless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English less
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | less | To a smaller extent or degree; comparative form... |
| 2 | Middle English | les | false; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie |
| 3 | Old English | lēas | false, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *laus | — |
via English pact
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | pact | An agreement; a compact; a covenant; An agreement... |
| 2 | Middle French | pacte | — |
| 3 | Latin | pactum | agreement, bargain; pact |
| 4 | Latin | pacisci | present active infinitive of pacīscor; to make an... |