Where does “regardless” come from?
Regardless comes from Middle English -les suffix added to Old French reguarder, from Old French re- and Latin re- meaning "again," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
regardless (English): Having no regard; heedless; careless; Without...
Definitions
- Having no regard; heedless; careless; Without...
Ancestry of “regardless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | regard | A steady look, a gaze; One's concern for another;... |
| 2 | French | regarder | to look at; to watch |
| 3 | Middle French | regarder | to look at; to watch |
| 4 | Old French | reguarder | to look at; to watch |
| 5 | Old French | guarder | to protect; to guard; to look at |
| 6 | Frankish | wardēn | to protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wardāną | to guard, protect, watch over |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *warduz | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |