English
senseless
Senseless comes from Old French sens ‘reason’, from Proto-Germanic *sinnaz ‘sense, perception’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sent-1‘to perceive’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sentiō1‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsentiō1‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēnsus1‘perception, feeling, sensation’
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sinnaz1‘sense, perception’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*sinn1reconstructed
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*sennus1‘sense, reason’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400sens1‘reason’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sense1‘meaning, signification’
- English1500–presentsense1
- Englishearliest quotation 1762senseless1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English senseless
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1762, Horace Walpole, State of Painting from the Reign of Henry III. to the End of: “[T]he King vvas obliged to qualify his grant, by…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sent-Wiktionary, English senseless‘to perceive’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sentiōWiktionary, English senseless‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsentiōWiktionary, English senseless‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēnsusWiktionary, English senseless‘perception, feeling, sensation’
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sinnazWiktionary, English senseless‘sense, perception’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*sinnWiktionary, English senselessreconstructed
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*sennusWiktionary, English senseless‘sense, reason’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400sensWiktionary, English senseless‘reason’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500senseWiktionary, English senseless‘meaning, signification’
- English1500–presentsenseWiktionary, English senseless
- Englishearliest quotation 1762senselessWiktionary, English senseless. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1762, Horace Walpole, State of Painting from the Reign of Henry III. to the End of: “[T]he King vvas obliged to qualify his grant, by…”
A compound of sense + -less
Proto-Indo-European *sent- ‘to feel’
…
Latin sentiō ‘feel, perceive’
Latin sēnsus ‘sensation, feeling, meaning’
Old French sens ‘sense, perception, direction’
Middle English sense ‘meaning’
English sense
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sent- ‘to perceive’
through Proto-Italic *sentiō ‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
through Latin sentiō ‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
sentence, sensitive, consent, sentiment, scent, consensus, sensor, sensible, resent, sensibility, sentient, assent, sentience, 31 more
through Latin sēnsus ‘perception, feeling, sensation’
sensation, sensual, sensuous, sensu, 18 more
through English sense
Today it means
adj Without feeling or desire to work; deprived of sensation.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “senseless”. 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 *sent- / senseless