Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “powerless” come from?

Powerless comes from Middle English pouerles, formed from power plus the suffix -less meaning without or lacking.

powerless (English): Lacking sufficient power or strength; Lacking...

Definitions

  1. Lacking sufficient power or strength; Lacking...

Ancestry of “powerless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpouerles—

Words derived from “powerless”

  • powerlessness
  • powerlessly
Every word from Middle English pouerles →