Etymograph

English

shamelessness

Shamelessness comes from Middle English schameles ‘lacking decency or modesty’, from Old English sċamlēas ‘shameless, bold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewHs-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leusaną‘to lose, to cease to have’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skamōlausaz‘shameless’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skamulaus‘shameless’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċamlēas‘shameless, bold’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schameles‘lacking decency or modesty’
  7. English1500–presentshameless
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1853shamelessness

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewHs-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*leusaną‘to lose, to cease to have’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*skamōlausaz‘shameless’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*skamulaus‘shameless’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150sċamlēas‘shameless, bold’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schameles‘lacking decency or modesty’
  7. English1500–presentshameless
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1853shamelessness

Earliest quotation: 1853, Charles Kingsley: “[H]e added to all his other shamelessness this, that…”

A compound of shameless + -ness

Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-

…

Proto-Germanic *skamōlausaz

Proto-West Germanic *skamulaus

Old English sċamlēas ‘without shame’

Middle English schameles ‘lacking decency or modesty’

English shameless

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *leusaną ‘to lose, to cease to have’

loose, lease, lorn, loess, 3 more

Today it means

noun The state or characteristic of being shameless.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewHs- / shamelessness

Shirt and support for this word