Etymograph

English

speedless

Speedless comes from Middle English spedles.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spedles1
  2. Englishtodayspeedless1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English speedless

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500spedlesWiktionary, English speedless
  2. EnglishtodayspeedlessWiktionary, English speedless

Formed from speed + -less

Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- ‘to prosper’

…

Proto-West Germanic *spōan ‘to succeed’

Proto-West Germanic *spōdi ‘prosperity’

Old English spēd ‘success’

Middle English sped ‘prosperity’

English speed

Every English word from Middle English spedles

Today it means

adj Lacking success or prosperity; not prosperous; unfortunate; unsuccessful.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “speedless”. 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 / Middle English spedles / speedless

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