Where does “wifeless” come from?

wifeless (English) comes from Middle English wyfles, from Old English wīflēas, from Old English -lēas, from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic -lausaz, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

wifeless (English): Having no wife; unmarried or celibate; Without a...

Definitions

  1. Having no wife; unmarried or celibate; Without a...

Ancestry of “wifeless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwyflesWifeless; having no wife
2Old Englishwīflēaswifeless
3Old English-lēas-less
4Proto-West Germanic*-lauswithout, -less
5Proto-Germanic-lausaz-less, lacking, devoid of
6Proto-Germaniclausazloose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

Words derived from “wifeless”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lausaz →Every word from Old English -lēas →