Where does “pigless” come from?
pigless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
pigless (English): Without a pig
Ancestry of “pigless”, step by step
pigless 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 pig
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | pig | Any of several intelligent mammalian species of... |
| 2 | Middle English | pigge | A piglet or young pig; A pig irrespective of age;... |
| 3 | Old English | picga | a young pig; piglet |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | piggō | pig |