Fearless
/ˈfɪr.ləs/noun
Not feeling or showing fear; brave.
Did you know?Fearless is a straightforward English formation from fear + -less, and the suffix -less comes from Old English -lēas, meaning “without” or “devoid of,” a pattern that turned absence into a powerful linguistic spell.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
fǣr
“danger, sudden peril”
Old English
OE
-lēas
“without, lacking”
Middle English
ME
fērles
“without fear”
Late Middle English
ME
fearless
“free from fear”
Modern English
English
fearless
“not afraid; brave”
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