English
steerless
Steerless comes from Middle English stereles ‘having no rudder’, from Old English stēorlēas ‘ungovernable, unruly’, and ultimately from stēor.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150stēor
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150stēorlēas‘ungovernable, unruly’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stereles‘having no rudder’
- Englishtodaysteerless
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150stēor
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150stēorlēas‘ungovernable, unruly’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stereles‘having no rudder’
- Englishtodaysteerless
Formed from steer + -less
Proto-Germanic *stiurijō ‘steering, rudder’
Proto-Germanic *stiurijaną ‘to steer’
Proto-West Germanic *stiurijan ‘to steer’
Old English stēoran ‘to steer’
Middle English steeren
English steer
Every English word from Old English stēor
Today it means
adj Having no rudder.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English stēor / steerless