Where does “toadless” come from?
toadless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
toadless (English): Without a toad or toads
Ancestry of “toadless”, step by step
toadless 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 toad
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | toad | An amphibian, a kind of frog with shorter... |
| 2 | Middle English | tode | A toad; The toad seen as a foul, devilish, and... |
| 3 | Old English | tāde | — |
| 4 | Old English | tādie | toad |