Where does “turfless” come from?

turfless (English) comes from English turf, from Middle English turf, from Old English turf, from Proto-West Germanic turb, from Proto-Germanic turbz, from Proto-Indo-European dorbh- — tuft, grass.

turfless (English): Without turf

Definitions

  1. Without turf

Ancestry of “turfless”, step by step

turfless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English turf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishturfA layer of earth covered with grass; sod; A piece...
2Middle Englishturfsoil, earth
3Old Englishturfturf
4Proto-West Germanicturbturf, peat
5Proto-Germanicturbzturf, peat
6Proto-Indo-Europeandorbh-tuft, grass

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 dorbh- →Every word from Proto-Germanic turbz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic turb →