-les

See also: Appendix:Variations of "les"

Middle English

Alternative forms

• -las, -lasse, -læs, -leas, -lease, -leæs, -lese, -lesse, -lez, -lies, -liese, -lis, -lise, -lyas, -lyese

Etymology

Inherited from Old English -lēas (“-less”) (akin to lēas (“devoid of, loose from, false”)), from Proto-West Germanic *-laus, from Proto-Germanic *-lausaz, from *lausaz (“loose”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-lɛːs/, /-lɛs/

Suffix

-les

1. Lacking (something); without (something).

Usage notes

• -les and its variants are affixed to nouns in order to form adjectives denoting absence of that noun.

Derived terms

Middle English terms suffixed with -les

awles

barnles

berdles

blameles

boteles

botemles

braynles

bredles

brotherles

childles

clothles

detteles

douteles

dredles

endeles

faderles

fotles

frendles

frounceles

fruytles

goodles

graceles

greceles

haveles

heedles

herberweles

hertles

hodles

housles

kingles

laweles

lordles

loveles

lyfles

makeles

meteles

moderles

moneyeles

oreles

pereles

reccheles

reuþeles

shameles

sleples

stereles

synneles

toþeles

vertules

waterles

wommanles

wyfles

• armles
• bonles
• catelles
• causeles
• childrenles
• cloudeles
• comfortles
• defautles
• drinkeles
• fereles
• fleshles
• groundles
• harmles
• havenles
• husbondles
• witles

Descendants

• English: -less
• Scots: -less

References

• “-lē̆s, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 6 April 2018.