Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “warrantless” come from?

Warrantless derives from Middle English -les, Old English -lēas meaning "lacking," from Old English lēas, Proto-Germanic lausaz, and Proto-Indo-European lewH-.

warrantless (English): Performed without a warrant

Definitions

  1. Performed without a warrant

Ancestry of “warrantless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwarrantAuthorization or certification; a sanction, as...
2Middle Englishwarantprotector; guard, shield, protection
3Anglo-Norman Frenchwarrant—
4Frankishwaranda warrant
5Frankishwarjanto fend off; to stop, thwart; to fend for,...
6Proto-West Germanicwaʀjanto clothe
7Proto-Germanicwarjanąto ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “warrantless”

  • warrantlessness
  • warrantlessly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →