Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “clothles” come from?

clothles (Middle English) comes from Middle English cloþ, from Old English clāþ, from Proto-Germanic klaiþą, from Proto-Indo-European gleyt-, from Proto-Indo-European gley-, from Proto-Indo-European gel- — to be cold, to freeze.

Ancestry of “clothles”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcloþAlternative form of cloth; cloth, garment
2Old Englishclāþcloth, clothes, covering, sail
3Proto-Germanicklaiþącloth
4Proto-Indo-Europeangleyt-to cling to, cleave, stick
5Proto-Indo-Europeangley-to glue, paste, stick together; to glue, stick...
6Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →