Etymograph

English

mightless

Mightless comes from Old English mihtlēas ‘mightless, weak, powerless, impotent’, from Proto-Germanic *maganą ‘to be able, may’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mógʰtis.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mógʰtisreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maganą‘to be able, may’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mahtiz‘might’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mahtilausaz‘powerless, mightless’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150mihtlēas‘mightless, weak, powerless, impotent’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mightles
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2004mightless

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mógʰtisreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maganą‘to be able, may’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mahtiz‘might’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mahtilausaz‘powerless, mightless’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150mihtlēas‘mightless, weak, powerless, impotent’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mightles
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2004mightless

Earliest quotation: 2004, Dianne Drake, Lilly's Law: “So the mightless Tannenbaum, with two cups of wine…”

Formed from might + -less

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *maganą ‘to be able, may’

may, yay, mower, yayo, 4 more

Today it means

adj Lacking in might or vigour; powerless; weak.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mógʰtis / mightless

Shirt and support for this word