Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shineless” come from?

shineless (English) comes from English shine, from Middle English shinen, from Old English sċīnan, from Proto-West Germanic skīnan, from Proto-Germanic skīnaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱeh₁y- — to shine, shimmer.

shineless (English): Without any shine; dull

Definitions

  1. Without any shine; dull

Ancestry of “shineless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshineTo emit light; To reflect light; To distinguish...
2Middle EnglishshinenAlternative form of schinen
3Old Englishsċīnan—
4Proto-West Germanicskīnanto shine; to appear
5Proto-Germanicskīnanąto shine; to appear
6Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱeh₁y-to shine, shimmer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱeh₁y- →