Where does “rutless” come from?

rutless (English) comes from English rūt, from Middle English route, from Middle French route, from Old French route, from Latin rupta, from Latin ruptus, from Latin rumpō, from Proto-Indo-European Hrunépti — to tear out, dig out, open, acquire.

rutless (English): Of a road, without ruts

Definitions

  1. Of a road, without ruts

Ancestry of “rutless”, step by step

rutless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English rūt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrūtSexual desire in any of many mammals, often specific to mating season
2Middle Englishrouteroute; "a group of people"; the proper condition...
3Middle Frenchrouteroad; military defeat; retreat
4Old Frenchrouteroute
5Latinruptanominative feminine singular of ruptus;...
6Latinruptusbroken; ruptured, burst
7Latinrumpōto break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrunéptito be breaking
9Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrewp-to break, tear
10Proto-Indo-EuropeanHrew-to tear out, dig out, open, acquire

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hrew-