-los (German)
Where does "-los" come from?
The German suffix -los traces its origins back to the Proto-Indo-European root 'lewh₁-', meaning to cut off or release. It evolved through Proto-Germanic and Old High German as a way to denote being devoid of something, sharing a direct common ancestor with the English suffix '-less' and the German word for 'loose'.
Full etymology tree
- -los (German), '-less'
- inherited -lōs (Middle High German)
- inherited -lōs (Old High German)
- inherited *-laus (Proto-West Germanic), 'without, -less'
- inherited *-lausaz (Proto-Germanic), '-less, lacking, devoid of'
- derived *lausaz (Proto-Germanic), 'loose, free'
- derived *leusaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to lose, to cease to have'
- inherited *lewh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cut off, release'
- derived *leusaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to lose, to cease to have'
- derived *lausaz (Proto-Germanic), 'loose, free'
- inherited *-lausaz (Proto-Germanic), '-less, lacking, devoid of'
- inherited *-laus (Proto-West Germanic), 'without, -less'
- inherited -lōs (Old High German)
- inherited -lōs (Middle High German)
Ancestors
- *-laus (Proto-West Germanic)
Cognates and doublets
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris