Etymology

handless

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Today it means: Without any hands. Full definition →

Middle English handles ← Old English *handlēas ← Proto-Germanic *handulausaz
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handless · adjective1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*handulausaz“handless”
  2. Old English · inherited from*handlēas
  3. Middle English · inherited fromhandles
  4. English todayhandless

From Middle English handles, from Old English *handlēas, from Proto-Germanic *handulausaz (“handless”), equivalent to hand + -less. Cognate with West Frisian hânleas (“handless”), German handlos (“handless”), Icelandic handlauss (“handless”).

handless · adjective2

From handleless, by haplology, under the influence of etymology 1 above.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.