< Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic
Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/witalausaz
 | This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed words and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence. |
Proto-Germanic
Etymology
From *witą (“knowledge, sense, wit”) + *-lausaz (“-less”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈwi.tɑˌlɑu̯.sɑz/
Suffix
*witalausaz[1]
- witless
Inflection
Declension of *witalausaz (a-stem)
| strong declension | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | singular | plural | |
| nominative | *witalausaz | *witalausai | *witalausō | *witalausôz | *witalausą, *-atō | *witalausō |
| accusative | *witalausanǭ | *witalausanz | *witalausǭ | *witalausōz | *witalausą, *-atō | *witalausō |
| genitive | *witalausas, *witalausis | *witalausaizǫ̂ | *witalausaizōz | *witalausaizǫ̂ | *witalausas, *witalausis | *witalausaizǫ̂ |
| dative | *witalausammai | *witalausaimaz | *witalausaizōi | *witalausaimaz | *witalausammai | *witalausaimaz |
| instrumental | *witalausanō | *witalausaimiz | *witalausaizō | *witalausaimiz | *witalausanō | *witalausaimiz |
| weak declension | ||||||
| masculine | feminine | neuter | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | singular | plural | |
| nominative | *witalausô | *witalausaniz | *witalausǭ | *witalausōniz | *witalausô | *witalausōnō |
| accusative | *witalausanų | *witalausanunz | *witalausōnų | *witalausōnunz | *witalausô | *witalausōnō |
| genitive | *witalausiniz | *witalausanǫ̂ | *witalausōniz | *witalausōnǫ̂ | *witalausiniz | *witalausanǫ̂ |
| dative | *witalausini | *witalausammaz | *witalausōni | *witalausōmaz | *witalausini | *witalausammaz |
| instrumental | *witalausinē | *witalausammiz | *witalausōnē | *witalausōmiz | *witalausinē | *witalausammiz |
Descendants
- West Germanic: *witalaus
- Old English: witlēas
- Middle English: witles
- English: witless
- Middle English: witles
- Old Saxon: *witlōs
- Middle Low German: witlōs
- Old English: witlēas
- Old Norse: vitlauss
- Icelandic: vitlaus
- Faroese: vitleysur
- Norwegian Bokmål: vettløs, vettlaus
- Norwegian Nynorsk: vettlaus, vitlaus
- Old Swedish: vitløs
- Swedish: vettlös
- Old Danish: witløs
- Danish: vidløs
References
- Orel, Vladimir (2003), “*witalausaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 463