English
scriptureless
Scriptureless comes from Latin scrīptūra ‘a writing, something written’, from scrībō ‘to write’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kréybʰeti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kréybʰeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skreiβō1‘to carve’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrībō1‘to write’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrīptūra1‘a writing, something written’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scripture1
- English1500–presentscripture1
- Englishtodayscriptureless1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English scriptureless
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kréybʰetiWiktionary, English scripturelessreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skreiβōWiktionary, English scriptureless‘to carve’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrībōWiktionary, English scriptureless‘to write’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrīptūraWiktionary, English scriptureless‘a writing, something written’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500scriptureWiktionary, English scriptureless
- English1500–presentscriptureWiktionary, English scriptureless
- EnglishtodayscripturelessWiktionary, English scriptureless
A compound of *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’ + *(s)kreybʰ- ‘to scratch, to tear’
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreybʰ- ‘to scratch, to tear’
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *skreiβō ‘to carve’
transcription, shriver, ascribe, transcribe, inscribe, 28 more
through Latin scrībō ‘to write’
description, prescription, transcript, inscription, prescribe, scribe, conscription, scribble, shrift, scrivener, nondescript, conscript, descript, 31 more
Today it means
adj Without scripture; not conforming to, or sanctioned by, a holy text.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “scriptureless”. 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-Indo-European *(s)kréybʰeti / scriptureless