English
toothless
Toothless comes from Proto-Germanic *tanþs ‘tooth’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- ‘to bite’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ed-‘to bite’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃dónts‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþs‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþlausazreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tōþlēas
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tothles
- Englishearliest quotation 1603toothless
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ed-‘to bite’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃dónts‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþs‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþlausazreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tōþlēas
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tothles
- Englishearliest quotation 1603toothless
Earliest quotation: 1603, B[en] Jon[son]: “Not tell? Ha! ha! I could ſmile, / At…”
Formed from tooth + -less
Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- ‘to smell’
…
Proto-Germanic *tanþs
Proto-West Germanic *tanþ
Old English tōþ
Middle English toth
English tooth
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- ‘to bite’
odor, annoy, ozone, trident, egregious, odious, denture, dentate, dentin, redolent, osmium, odium, 65 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts ‘tooth’
dental, dent, zinc, dens, dancy, 49 more
through Proto-Germanic *tanþs ‘tooth’
Today it means
adj Having no teeth.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- / toothless