Where does “spiritless” come from?
Spiritless comes from English spirit, from Latin spiritus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys-, a root meaning to breathe or blow.
spiritless (English): Lacking energy, drive, motivation or emotion....
Definitions
- Lacking energy, drive, motivation or emotion....
Ancestry of “spiritless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spirit | The soul of a person or other creature. What... |
| 2 | Middle English | spirit | life, vital breath |
| 3 | Irish | -óg | used to form diminutives of nouns, or substantive... |
| 4 | Old Irish | -óc | Diminutive suffix |
| 5 | Proto-Brythonic | -ọg | Forms nouns/adjectives from other nouns and... |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | -ākos | Forms adjectives from nouns and adjectives with... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂ḱos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -kos | Creates deadjectival and desubstantival... |