Where does “selfless” come from?
Selfless comes from English self plus the suffix -less, with self deriving from Middle English self, Old English self, and Proto-Indo-European selbʰ-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European s(w)e- meaning oneself.
selfless (English): Having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for...
Definitions
- Having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for...
Ancestry of “selfless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -less | (something); without (something). Added usually to a noun to form an adjective signifying a lack of that noun |
| 2 | Middle English | -les | Lacking (something); without (something) |
| 3 | Turkish | -le | with, shortened form of ile; by, shortened form... |
| 4 | Turkish | ile | with; and |
| 5 | Ottoman Turkish | ایله | by |
| 6 | Old Anatolian Turkish | اِیلَه | — |
| 7 | Proto-Turkic | bile | with, together, also |