Etymograph

English

restless

Restless comes from Old English ræst ‘rest’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *rastō.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rastō1‘rest’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rastu1‘rest’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150ræst1‘rest’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ræstlēas1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500restles1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2024restless1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English restless
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2024, Madeline Holcombe, What to do on the nights you are struggling with insomnia, a: “If that is the case, she recommends getting up,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rastōWiktionary, English restless‘rest’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rastuWiktionary, English restless‘rest’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150ræstWiktionary, English restless‘rest’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ræstlēasWiktionary, English restless
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500restlesWiktionary, English restless
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2024restlessWiktionary, English restless. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2024, Madeline Holcombe, What to do on the nights you are struggling with insomnia, a: “If that is the case, she recommends getting up,…”

Every English word from Proto-Germanic *rastō

Today it means

adj Not allowing or affording rest.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “restless”. 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 *rastō / restless

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