Where does “penceless” come from?
penceless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
penceless (English): penniless; entirely lacking money
Definitions
- penniless; entirely lacking money
Ancestry of “penceless”, step by step
penceless 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 Pence
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Pence | (the subunit of the pound sterling or Irish pound) |
| 2 | Middle English | peny | A penny or other silver coin including ancient coins |
| 3 | Old English | penning | penny |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | panningaz | a coin, penny |