makeless

English

Etymology

From Middle English makeles, equivalent to make (“companion, mate, equal, peer”) +‎ -less. Cognate with Danish mageløs (“matchless”), Swedish makalös (“incomparable, peerless, matchless”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meɪkləs/

• Audio (US):

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Adjective

makeless (not comparable)

1. (archaic, rare) Matchless, without equal, peerless.
   • 1578, “The Complaynt of Henry Duke of Buckingham”, in William Baldwin, editor, The last part [part 3] of the Mirour for magistrates, page 140:

     Consider Cyrus in your cruell thought,
     A makelesse Prince in riches, and in might.

   • 1853, Dante Alighieri, translated by William Cayley, Divine Comedy: The Purgatory, Canto XX, line 97, page 147:

     That which I mentioned of the makeless Bride [translating Italian unica sposa]
     Of God the Spirit […]

   • 1861 November, Emerald Green, “A Day in the Dublin Exhibition”, in The Family Friend, page 506:

     I just peeped into the Mediæval Court, in search of the mummy of a cat […] a bright-eyed little girl directed me to her ancient feline majesty—a thing shapeless and makeless—done up in that queer old mouldering […]

2. (obsolete) Without a mate; widowed.
   • 1591, Robert Wilmot, The tragedie of Tancred and Gismund, act 2, scene 1:

     For, stoode it with the pleasure of his will
     To marrie me, my fortune is not such,
     So hard, that I so long should still persist
     Makelesse alone in wofull widowhood.

   • 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet IX”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

     The world will wail thee, like a makeless wife.

Translations

matchless

• Dutch: onvergelijkelijk (nl)

widowed

• Dutch: geweeuwd (archaic)

Anagrams

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