Where does “troughless” come from?
troughless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
troughless (English): Without a trough
Ancestry of “troughless”, step by step
troughless 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 trough
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | trough | A long, narrow container, open on top, for... |
| 2 | Middle English | trogh | A trough long narrow container |
| 3 | Old English | troh | Alternative form of trog |
| 4 | Proto-Semitic | ṯin- | two |