English
thewless
Thewless comes from Old English þēawlēas ‘ill-mannered’, and goes back to þēaw ‘habit, custom’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150þēaw‘habit, custom’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150þēawlēas‘ill-mannered’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500thewless
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150þēaw‘habit, custom’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150þēawlēas‘ill-mannered’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500thewless
- Englishtodaysame form
Every English word from Old English þēaw
Today it means
adj Lacking morals or virtue.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English þēaw / thewless