Where does “wyfles” come from?
wyfles (Middle English) comes from Old English wīflēas, from Old English -lēas, from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic -lausaz, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.
Ancestry of “wyfles”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | wīflēas | wifeless |
| 2 | Old English | -lēas | -less |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *-laus | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -lausaz | -less, lacking, devoid of |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lausaz | loose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewH- | louse |