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
- Not having any wires; Of or relating to...
Ancestry of “wireless”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wire | Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now... |
| 2 | Middle English | wir | — |
| 3 | Old English | wīr | wire, metal thread, wire-ornament |
| 4 | English | myrtle | An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus... |
| 5 | Old French | myrte | — |
| 6 | Latin | myrtus | myrtle |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μύρτος | myrtle; twig or spray of myrtle |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | μυρίκη | tamarisk |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -ίκη | — |