Etymology

recklessness

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Today it means: The state or quality of being reckless or heedless, of taking unnecessary risks. Full definition →

Middle English reklesnes ← Old English rēċelēasnes ← Proto-Germanic *lausaz
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic*rōkijaną
  2. Proto-West Germanic*rōkijan
  3. Old Englishrēċan
  4. Proto-Indo-European*lewh₁-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*lewHs-
  6. Proto-Germanic*leusaną
  7. Proto-Germanic*lausaz
  8. Old Englishrēċelēas
  9. Old Englishrēċelēasnes
  10. Middle Englishreklesnes
  11. English todayrecklessness

From Middle English reklesnes, reklesnesse, rekelesnesse (also assibilated as rechelesnes, reccheleesnesse), from Old English rēcelēasnes (“recklessness, carelessness, negligence”), equivalent to reckless + -ness.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.