Where does “verharmlosen” come from?

verharmlosen (German) comes from German harmlos, 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.

verharmlosen (German): to play down

Definitions

  1. to play down

Ancestry of “verharmlosen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanharmlosharmless; innocuous; inoffensive
2German-los-less
3Old Dutch-lōs—
4Proto-West Germanic*-lauswithout, -less
5Proto-Germanic-lausaz-less, lacking, devoid of
6Proto-Germaniclausazloose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

Words derived from “verharmlosen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lausaz →Every word from German -los →