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-less

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: less

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English -les, -leas, from Old English -lēas (“-less”) (compare lēas (“devoid of, loose from, false”)), from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic *-lausaz, from *lausaz (“loose”). (Not related to less, which derives from *laisiz, *laisizô.) Cognate with Scots -less, West Frisian -leas, Saterland Frisian -loos, Dutch -loos (“-less”), Low German -los, German -los, Danish -løs, Swedish -lös, Icelandic -laus. More at lease (“false”).

Pronunciation

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Suffix

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-less

  1. Lacking (something); without (something). Added usually to a noun to form an adjective signifying a lack of that noun.
    • 2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American Scientist:
      The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone, essentially what today we might term a frameless magnifying glass or plain glass paperweight.

Usage notes

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  • Adjectives formed using -less often form nouns by the addition of -ness (e.g. helplessness), but generally do not form nouns by the addition of other noun-forming endings.
  • A notable exception to the usual usage of this suffix is that doubtless is usually an adverb, rather than an adjective.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of “lacking”): -ed, -y, -some (having in considerable amount), -ful (having in abundance)

Derived terms

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English terms suffixed with -less

Translations

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Anagrams

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Scots

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Etymology

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From Middle English -les, from Old English -lēas (“-less”).

Suffix

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-less

  1. lacking; without. Added usually to a noun to form an adjective signifying a lack of that noun.
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