Etymograph

English

mindless

Mindless comes from Old English myndlēas ‘foolish, senseless’, and goes back to *mynd.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*mynd1reconstructed
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150myndlēas2‘foolish, senseless’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500myndles2
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2012mindless2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English myndleas
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English mindless
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa: ““I Love Lisa” opens with one of my favorite…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*myndWiktionary, Old English myndleasreconstructed
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150myndlēasWiktionary, English mindless‘foolish, senseless’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500myndlesWiktionary, English mindless
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2012mindlessWiktionary, English mindless. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa: ““I Love Lisa” opens with one of my favorite…”

Every English word from Old English *mynd

Today it means

adj Showing a lack of forethought or sense.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mindless”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English myndleas. 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 / Old English *mynd / mindless

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