-leas

Forms

-lēas^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic *-lausaz, and within Old English it is the adjective lēas (“free from, without; false”).^[1][2] The adjective continues *lausaz (“empty, idle”), with Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 (laus, “empty”), Old Norse lauss (“loose, free”), Old Frisian lās, Old Saxon lōs and Old High German lōs.^[3][4] Kroonen and Orel explain it as an o-grade adjective made to Proto-Germanic *leusaną (“to lose”).^[3][4] Köbler traces it to Pokorny's Proto-Indo-European *leu- (“to cut, separate, loosen”).^[5]

The same use goes back to Proto-Norse: the Björketorp stone has a compound ⟨hAerAmAlAusR⟩ “restless, without peace”.^[6] Lass counts adjectives such as drēamlēas as compounds rather than suffixed words, since the second element is still a free word.^[7] Like -dōm, -līċ and -weard, the element bears a half-stress when an ending follows.^[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Adjectives in -lēas are recorded from the mid-ninth century: the Vespasian Psalter gloss has se arleasa for Latin “impius”, “the wicked man” (Psalm 9:6).^[10][11]

Semantic evolution

The suffix forms adjectives meaning “without” what the noun names.^[2] Campbell's examples are ārlēas “merciless”, ġīemelēas “negligent” and hāmlēas “homeless”.^[12] Some formations are close to Norse ones: Lass notes saclēas “innocent” beside Old Norse saklauss, a partial loan translation.^[13]

It lived on as Middle English -les, which kept many Old English adjectives (endeles, faderles, witles) and made many new ones; a few came from Old Norse.^[14] It survives as English -less.^[15]

Timeline

• s. ix med. – se arleasa “the wicked man” in the Vespasian Psalter gloss.^[10][11]
• 890×897 – ārlēas in the Pastoral Care (Hatton 20).^[16][11]
• s. x² – hāmlēas in an Exeter Book riddle.^[17][11]

Meanings

Suffix

1. forming adjectives from nouns: without, free from, devoid of.^[2][1]
2. bereft of.^[1]

Word family

• ārlēas
• ġīemelēas
• hāmlēas
• sāwollēas
• bōtlēas
• saclēas
• drēamlēas

Descendants

• Middle English -les (→ English -less; Middle Scots -les)^[1]

Related words

• -līest
• lēas

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 626
3. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 329
4. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 239
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. lēas 1
6. ^ Heidermanns, Frank (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen Primäradjektive, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. 366
7. ^ Lass, Roger (1994), Old English: A Historical Linguistic Companion, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 95
8. ^ Campbell, A. (1959), Old English Grammar, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. § 88
9. ^ Hogg, Richard M. (1992), A Grammar of Old English, vol. 1: Phonology, Oxford: Blackwell, p. § 2.89
10. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 329
11. ^ a b c d Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
12. ^ Campbell, A. (1959), Old English Grammar, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. § 642
13. ^ Lass, Roger (1994), Old English: A Historical Linguistic Companion, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 189
14. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
15. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
16. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 499
17. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 223