Where does “torchless” come from?

torchless (English) comes from English torch, from French torcher, from French torche, from Old French torche, from Vulgar Latin torca, from Latin torquis, from Latin torqueō, from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- — to turn, spin.

torchless (English): Lacking torches; unlighted

Definitions

  1. Lacking torches; unlighted

Ancestry of “torchless”, step by step

torchless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English torch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtorchA stick with a flame on one end, used chiefly as...
2Frenchtorcherto wipe with a cloth to remove dirt; to flare; to...
3Frenchtorchetorch; first-person singular present indicative...
4Old Frenchtorchebundle; torch
5Vulgar Latintorca
6Latintorquischaplet
7Latintorqueōto spin, whirl, twirl, turn, cause to revolve
8Proto-Indo-Europeanterkʷ-to turn, spin

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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ-