Etymology

fretless

F4R1E1T1L1E1S1S1

Today it means: Of a stringed instrument, not having frets on the fingerboard. Full definition →

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

  1. Englishfret
  2. Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
  4. Proto-Germanic*leusaną
  5. Proto-Germanic*lausaz
  6. English todayfretless

From fret + -less.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.