Where does “sparrowless” come from?
sparrowless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
sparrowless (English): Without sparrows
Ancestry of “sparrowless”, step by step
sparrowless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English less
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | less | To a smaller extent or degree; comparative form... |
| 2 | Middle English | les | false; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie |
| 3 | Old English | lēas | false, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *laus | — |
via English sparrow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | sparrow | The house sparrow, "Passer domesticus"; a small... |
| 2 | Middle English | Sparow | — |