Where does “gnadenlos” come from?

gnadenlos (German) comes from German -los, from Old Dutch -lōs, from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic -lausaz, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

gnadenlos (German): merciless

Definitions

  1. merciless

Ancestry of “gnadenlos”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1German-los-less
2Old Dutch-lōs—
3Proto-West Germanic*-lauswithout, -less
4Proto-Germanic-lausaz-less, lacking, devoid of
5Proto-Germaniclausazloose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lausaz →Every word from German -los →