Where does “sootlessness” come from?
sootlessness (English) comes from English sootless, from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
sootlessness (English): Absence of soot
Definitions
- Absence of soot
Ancestry of “sootlessness”, step by step
sootlessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sootless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sootless | Without soot |
| 2 | English | less | To a smaller extent or degree; comparative form... |
| 3 | Middle English | les | false; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie |
| 4 | Old English | lēas | false, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *laus | — |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |