Where does “wifelessness” come from?
wifelessness (English) comes from English wifeless, 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.
wifelessness (English): Absence of a wife
Definitions
- Absence of a wife
Ancestry of “wifelessness”, step by step
wifelessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wifeless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wifeless | Having no wife; unmarried or celibate; Without a... |
| 2 | Middle English | wyfles | Wifeless; having no wife |
| 3 | Old English | wīflēas | wifeless |
| 4 | Old English | -lēas | -less |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *-laus | without, -less |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -lausaz | -less, lacking, devoid of |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | lausaz | loose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewH- | louse |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |