-lesssuffix

Primary stress is retained by the usual stressed syllable of the preceding element and vowels may be reduced accordingly.

Forms: Old English (rare)–early Middle English -læs, Old English–early Middle English -leas, Old English (rare)–1500s -les, late Old English–early Middle English -leæs, late Old English–early Middle English -lies, early Middle English -lease, early Middle English -lias, early Middle English -liese, Middle English -las, Middle English -lese, Middle English -lez, Middle English -lis, Middle English -lyas (south-eastern), Middle English–1500s -lees, Middle English–1600s -lesse, Middle English– -less; Scottish pre-1700 -las, pre-1700 -lase, pre-1700 -lese, pre-1700 1700s -les, pre-1700 1700s– -less, pre-1700 1800s -lis.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian -lās , Middle Dutch Dutch -loos , Old Saxon -lōs (Middle Low German -lōs ), Old High German -lōs (Middle High German -lōs , German -los ), Old Icelandic -lauss , Old Swedish, Swedish -lös , Old Danish, Danish -løs , Gothic -laus < the Germanic base of lease adj. In later use probably partly influenced by less adj.Old English. In Old English the adjective lēas lease adj., like its cognates in the other Germanic languages, was frequently used as a suffix in combination with a preceding noun in its senses ‘without, free from, devoid of, bereft of’. In use as adjective lēas , like its cognates, takes complements in the genitive, denoting the thing that the person or thing referred to is devoid of, and for this reason early formations with the suffix occasionally show reflexes of a genitive form as the first element (compare the discussion at fatherless adj.). The relevant sense of lēas does not survive into Middle English in adjectival use (compare later loose adj.). In use as suffix the originally long stem vowel was liable to shortening. Both of these developments probably encouraged association of the suffix with less adj. (compare the Middle English spellings -lesse, -less). Early formations with Germanic cognates or parallels include headless adj., lifeless adj., sorrowless adj., etc. Formations from nouns are very frequent from Old English onwards, as blōdlēas bloodless adj., wīflēas wifeless adj., fācenlēas guileless, (of metal) unalloyed (compare faken n.), etc. They sometimes function as antonyms to formations in -ful suffix, a suffix that has a similar early history. Later developments. In many instances the noun to which the suffix was attached was a noun of action, identical in form to the stem of a related verb, and some of the adjectives so formed had the sense ‘not to be ——ed’, ‘un-——able’, as in e.g. comfortless adj., numberless adj., and countless adj. Apparently partly by analogy with these, the suffix is also appended to verbs to form adjectives with similar senses, earliest in late Middle English (compare weariless adj.), and subsequently from the late 16th cent. onwards (e.g. bashless adj., resistless adj., and tireless adj.¹). A rare earlier (Old English) formation with a verb as first element is perhaps shown by reckless adj. Formations with adjectives as the first element are found from the 16th cent. (e.g. worthiless adj., sickless adj.); a possible earlier (Middle English) example is freeless adj.

Forming adjectives from nouns, verbs, and (rarely) adjectives.

a. Forming adjectives denoting the state or quality of not having or being free from the thing denoted by the first element of the compound, as homeless, guiltless.

b. Forming adjectives denoting the capacity of being unaffected by or not carrying out the action denoted by the first element of the compound, as fathomless, tireless.

c. Forming adjectives denoting the absence of the quality denoted by the first element of the compound, as sickless.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2020).

单词	-less
释义	-lesssuffix Primary stress is retained by the usual stressed syllable of the preceding element and vowels may be reduced accordingly. Forms: Old English (rare)–early Middle English -læs, Old English–early Middle English -leas, Old English (rare)–1500s -les, late Old English–early Middle English -leæs, late Old English–early Middle English -lies, early Middle English -lease, early Middle English -lias, early Middle English -liese, Middle English -las, Middle English -lese, Middle English -lez, Middle English -lis, Middle English -lyas (south-eastern), Middle English–1500s -lees, Middle English–1600s -lesse, Middle English– -less; Scottish pre-1700 -las, pre-1700 -lase, pre-1700 -lese, pre-1700 1700s -les, pre-1700 1700s– -less, pre-1700 1800s -lis. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian -lās , Middle Dutch Dutch -loos , Old Saxon -lōs (Middle Low German -lōs ), Old High German -lōs (Middle High German -lōs , German -los ), Old Icelandic -lauss , Old Swedish, Swedish -lös , Old Danish, Danish -løs , Gothic -laus < the Germanic base of lease adj. In later use probably partly influenced by less adj.Old English. In Old English the adjective lēas lease adj., like its cognates in the other Germanic languages, was frequently used as a suffix in combination with a preceding noun in its senses ‘without, free from, devoid of, bereft of’. In use as adjective lēas , like its cognates, takes complements in the genitive, denoting the thing that the person or thing referred to is devoid of, and for this reason early formations with the suffix occasionally show reflexes of a genitive form as the first element (compare the discussion at fatherless adj.). The relevant sense of lēas does not survive into Middle English in adjectival use (compare later loose adj.). In use as suffix the originally long stem vowel was liable to shortening. Both of these developments probably encouraged association of the suffix with less adj. (compare the Middle English spellings -lesse, -less). Early formations with Germanic cognates or parallels include headless adj., lifeless adj., sorrowless adj., etc. Formations from nouns are very frequent from Old English onwards, as blōdlēas bloodless adj., wīflēas wifeless adj., fācenlēas guileless, (of metal) unalloyed (compare faken n.), etc. They sometimes function as antonyms to formations in -ful suffix, a suffix that has a similar early history. Later developments. In many instances the noun to which the suffix was attached was a noun of action, identical in form to the stem of a related verb, and some of the adjectives so formed had the sense ‘not to be ——ed’, ‘un-——able’, as in e.g. comfortless adj., numberless adj., and countless adj. Apparently partly by analogy with these, the suffix is also appended to verbs to form adjectives with similar senses, earliest in late Middle English (compare weariless adj.), and subsequently from the late 16th cent. onwards (e.g. bashless adj., resistless adj., and tireless adj.¹). A rare earlier (Old English) formation with a verb as first element is perhaps shown by reckless adj. Formations with adjectives as the first element are found from the 16th cent. (e.g. worthiless adj., sickless adj.); a possible earlier (Middle English) example is freeless adj. Forming adjectives from nouns, verbs, and (rarely) adjectives. a. Forming adjectives denoting the state or quality of not having or being free from the thing denoted by the first element of the compound, as homeless, guiltless. b. Forming adjectives denoting the capacity of being unaffected by or not carrying out the action denoted by the first element of the compound, as fathomless, tireless. c. Forming adjectives denoting the absence of the quality denoted by the first element of the compound, as sickless. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2020). < suffix
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