worthless (English)

Where does "worthless" come from?

The word 'worthless' follows a direct linguistic path from Old English, where 'weorþlēas' was formed by combining 'weorþ' (worth) with the suffix '-lēas' (meaning loose, free, or void). This construction has roots tracing back to the Proto-Germanic period, with cognates appearing across various Germanic languages like Dutch, German, and Swedish. Ultimately, the term combines the concept of value or exchange with the idea of being 'released' from that value, resulting in our modern meaning of having no worth.

Full etymology tree

worthless (English), 'Having no worth or use; without value.'
- inherited worthles (Middle English)
  - inherited weorþlēas (Old English), 'worthless, of no worth or value'
    - compound weorþ (Old English), 'worth, deserving'
      - inherited *werþ (Proto-West Germanic)
        inherited *werþaz (Proto-Germanic), 'worthy, valuable'
        inherited *wértos (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *wert- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to turn, to rotate'
    - compound lēas (Old English), 'false'
      - inherited *laus (Proto-West Germanic), 'loose, free'
        inherited *lausaz (Proto-Germanic), 'loose, free'
        derived *leusaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to lose, to cease to have'
        inherited *lewHs- (Proto-Indo-European)
        inherited *lewh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cut off, release'

Direct ancestors

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris