Where does “tackleless” come from?

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

tackleless (English): Without tackle in various senses

Definitions

  1. Without tackle in various senses

Ancestry of “tackleless”, step by step

tackleless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English less

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

via English tackle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtackleA device for grasping an object and an attached...
2Middle Englishtakelgear, apparatus
3Dutchtakeltackle, hoist; crane; a ship's rigging, tackle
4Middle Dutchtakel
Every word from Proto-Germanic *laus