Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “staveless” come from?

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

staveless (English): staffless; Without vertical staves

Definitions

  1. staffless; Without vertical staves

Ancestry of “staveless”, 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 →