-les

See also: Appendix:Variations of "les"

Middle English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der.

Proto-Germanic *leusaną

Proto-Germanic *lausaz

Proto-Germanic *-lausaz

Proto-West Germanic *-laus

Old English -lēas

Middle English -les

Inherited from Old English -lēas (“-less”) (akin to lēas (“devoid of, loose from, false”)), from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic *-lausaz, from *lausaz (“loose”).

Alternative forms

• -las, -lasse, -læs, -leas, -lease, -leæs, -lees, -lese, -lesse, -lez, -lies, -liese, -lis, -lise, -lyas, -lyese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-lɛ̝ːs/, /-lɛs/

Suffix

-les

1. Lacking (something); without (something).

Usage notes

• -les and its variants are affixed to nouns in order to form adjectives denoting absence of that noun.

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -les

aweles

barnles

berdles

blameles

boteles

botemles

braynles

bredles

brotherles

childles

clothles

detteles

douteles

dredles

endeles

faderles

fotles

frendles

frounceles

fruytles

goodles

graceles

greceles

groundles

haveles

heedles

herberweles

hertles

hodles

housles

kindelæs

kingles

laweles

lordles

loveles

lyfles

makeles

meteles

moderles

moneyeles

oreles

perles

reccheles

reuþeles

schameles

schaples

sleples

sorweles

stereles

synneles

tothles

vertules

waterles

wepenles

wommanles

wyfles

• armles
• bonles
• catelles
• causeles
• childrenles
• cloudeles
• comfortles
• defautles
• drinkeles
• fereles
• fleshles
• harmles
• husbondles
• witles

Descendants

• English: -less
• Middle Scots: -les
  • Scots: -less

References

• “-lē̆s, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 6 April 2018.

Etymology 2

Suffix

-les

1. alternative form of -els

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /les/

Suffix

-les

1. genitive singular of -el