Etymology

flightless

F4L1I1G2H4T1L1E1S1S1

Today it means: Describing kinds of birds that normally cannot fly, such as the penguin, ostrich, and emu. Full definition →

Proto-Germanic *lausaz ← Proto-Indo-European *lewHs- ← English flight
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*plew-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*plewk-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pléwketi
  4. Proto-Germanic*fleuganą
  5. Proto-West Germanic*fleugan
  6. Proto-West Germanic*fluhti
  7. Old Englishflyht
  8. Middle Englishflight
  9. Englishflight
  10. Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
  12. Proto-Germanic*leusaną
  13. Proto-Germanic*lausaz
  14. English todayflightless

From flight + -less.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.