Where does “serifless” come from?

serifless (English) comes from English serif, from English Sheriff, from Middle English shirreve, from Old English scīrġerēfa, from Old English sċīr, from Old English burna, from Proto-West Germanic brunnō, from Proto-Germanic brunnô — to bear, carry.

serifless (English): sans serif

Definitions

  1. sans serif

Ancestry of “serifless”, step by step

serifless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English serif

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishserifA short line added to the end of a stroke in...
2EnglishSheriff(High Sheriff) An official of a shire or county office, responsible for carrying out court orders, law enforcement and other duties
3Middle EnglishshirreveA sheriff; an individual responsible for a number...
4Old Englishscīrġerēfashire-reeve; sheriff
5Old Englishsċīrbright; shire; county
6Old Englishburnastream
7Proto-West Germanicbrunnōwell, spring
8Proto-Germanicbrunnôsource; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰréh₁wr̥well, spring, source
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrewh₁-to boil; to brew
11Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

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 bʰer-