Where does “workerless” come from?
workerless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
workerless (English): Having no workers
Ancestry of “workerless”, step by step
workerless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English less
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | less | To a smaller extent or degree; comparative form... |
| 2 | Middle English | les | false; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie |
| 3 | Old English | lēas | false, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *laus | — |
via English worker
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | worker | A person who performs labor for a living,... |
| 2 | Middle English | werkere | — |