Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wireless” come from?

Wireless comes from Middle English -les and Old English -lēas, meaning "without," combined with Old English lēas from Proto-Indo-European weyro- and lewH-, meaning "to separate or divide."

wireless (English): Not having any wires; Of or relating to...

Definitions

  1. Not having any wires; Of or relating to...

Ancestry of “wireless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwireMetal formed into a thin, even thread, now...
2Middle Englishwir—
3Old Englishwīrwire, metal thread, wire-ornament
4EnglishmyrtleAn evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus...
5Old Frenchmyrte—
6Latinmyrtusmyrtle
7Ancient Greekμύρτοςmyrtle; twig or spray of myrtle
8Ancient Greekμυρίκηtamarisk
9Ancient Greek-ίκη—

Words derived from “wireless”

  • wirelessly
  • wirelessness
  • nonwireless
  • wireless
  • wireless
  • wireless
Every word from Ancient Greek -ίκη →