Where does “paunchless” come from?

paunchless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.

paunchless (English): Having no paunch

Definitions

  1. Having no paunch

Ancestry of “paunchless”, step by step

paunchless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

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

via English paunch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpaunchThe first compartment of the stomach of a...
2Middle Englishpaunchestomach, belly; innards, guts
3Old Frenchpancestomach; belly
4Latinpantexbelly, paunch, guts
Every word from Proto-Germanic *laus