Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “smutless” come from?

smutless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.

smutless (English): Without smut; Without the plant disease smut

Definitions

  1. Without smut; Without the plant disease smut

Ancestry of “smutless”, step by step

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-Germanic *laus →