Where does “voiceless” come from?
Voiceless derives from Middle English -les and -en, Latin vox meaning "sound" or "voice," and Proto-Indo-European roots lewH- and wekʷ- relating to speech and utterance.
voiceless (English): Lacking a voice, without vocal sound; Without a...
Definitions
- Lacking a voice, without vocal sound; Without a...
Ancestry of “voiceless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | voice | Sound uttered by the mouth, especially by human... |
| 2 | Middle English | voys | A voice; the sound a human or other speaking... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | voiz | voice |
| 4 | Latin | vocem | accusative singular of vōx; first-person singular... |
| 5 | Latin | vox | voice |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | wōks | voice |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wṓkʷs | voice, speech |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |