Etymograph

English

restlessness

Restlessness comes from Old English ræstlēas ‘restless’, from ræst ‘rest’, and ultimately from 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‘restless’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500restles1
  6. English1500–presentrestless1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1923restlessness1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English restlessness
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1923, Ernest Bramah pseudonym; Ernest Brammah , (please specify the page): “With nothing to occupy his attention, Mr Enniscorthy began…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rastōWiktionary, English restlessness‘rest’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rastuWiktionary, English restlessness‘rest’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150ræstWiktionary, English restlessness‘rest’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150ræstlēasWiktionary, English restlessness‘restless’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500restlesWiktionary, English restlessness
  6. English1500–presentrestlessWiktionary, English restlessness
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1923restlessnessWiktionary, English restlessness. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1923, Ernest Bramah pseudonym; Ernest Brammah , (please specify the page): “With nothing to occupy his attention, Mr Enniscorthy began…”

Every English word from Proto-Germanic *rastō

Today it means

noun The state or condition of being restless; an inability to be still, quiet, at peace or comfortable; a feeling of discomfort with stillness causes by anxiety, boredom or other emotions.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “restlessness”. 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 / restlessness

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