Etymology

fatherless

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Today it means: Without a (living) father. Full definition →

Middle English faderles ← Old English fæderlēas ← Proto-Germanic *fadērlausaz
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*fadērlausaz
  2. Old English · inherited fromfæderlēas
  3. Middle English · inherited fromfaderles
  4. English todayfatherless

From Middle English faderles, federles, from Old English fæderlēas, from Proto-Germanic *fadērlausaz, equivalent to father + -less. Cognate with German vaterlos.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.