Etymograph

English

breadless

Breadless comes from Middle English bred ‘bread’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *braudą.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*braudą1‘bread’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*braud1‘bread’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150brēad1‘bread (foodstuff)’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bred2‘bread’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bredles3
  6. Englishtodaybreadless3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English bred
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Middle English bredles
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English breadless

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*braudąWiktionary, Middle English bred‘bread’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*braudWiktionary, Middle English bred‘bread’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150brēadWiktionary, Middle English bred‘bread (foodstuff)’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bredWiktionary, Middle English bredles‘bread’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bredlesWiktionary, English breadless
  6. EnglishtodaybreadlessWiktionary, English breadless

Formed from bread + -less

Proto-Germanic *braudą

Proto-West Germanic *braud

Old English brēad ‘fragment’

Middle English bred ‘bread’

English bread

Linked words

through Middle English bred ‘bread’

bred, 1 more

Today it means

adj Without bread.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “breadless”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Middle English bred, Middle English bredles. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *braudą / breadless

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