Lifeless
/ˈlaɪf.ləs/noun
Without life; dead or showing no signs of vitality.
Did you know?The ending -less comes from Old English -lēas, meaning “devoid of” or “free from,” so the word literally frames life as something that can be stripped away by language.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
līflēas
“without life; dead”
Old English
OE
līf
“life, existence”
Old English
OE
-lēas
“without, lacking; free from”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*libē- / *lībą
“life, living body”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lausaz
“loose, free, lacking”
Modern English
English
lifeless
“without life; dead or inert”