English
worthless
Worthless comes from Old English weorþ ‘worth, deserving’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *werþaz ‘towards, opposite’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*werþaz‘towards, opposite’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150weorþ‘worth, deserving’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150weorþlēas
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*worthlesreconstructed
- Englishtodayworthless
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*werþaz‘towards, opposite’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150weorþ‘worth, deserving’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150weorþlēas
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*worthlesreconstructed
- Englishtodayworthless
Formed from worth + -less
Proto-Germanic *werþaz ‘worthy’
Proto-West Germanic *werþ
Old English weorþ ‘worth’
Middle English worth
English worth
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to turn’
university, version, word, weird, conversation, universe, ridiculous, diversity, versus, diverse, divorce, verse, vertical, advertisement, versatile, adversity, convertible, advert, divert, diversification, ridicule, revert, pervert, vortex, vertex, vertigo, avert, vertebrate, derision, subvert, vert, verso, deride, derisive, perversity, wurst, 71 more
Today it means
adj Having no worth or use; without value.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *werþaz / worthless