lawless
/ˈlɔːləs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.28 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Prohibited by law; unlawful, illegal.
adj
Not restrained by the law or by discipline; disorderly, unruly.
name
A surname from Middle English.
Example Sentences
- "This countrey ſwarmes with vile outragious men, That liue by rapine and by lawleſſe ſpoile, Fit ſouldiers for the wicked Tamburlaine."
- "For ſure the Gods / Are not devoid of wiſdom, but perceive / What oaths are lawleſs and by force extorted."
- "“We’re in a moment in this country where transgender people in this country are under attack in lawless ways,” said Chase Strangio, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who represented transgender teens at the high court."
- "On why leaving lawless places and leaving pseudovirtuous groups is loving such places and groups"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *lagą Old Norse lag Old Norse lǫgbor. Old English lagu Middle English lawe Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les Middle English laweles English lawless From Middle English laweles; equivalent to law + -less. Cognate with Danish lovløs (“lawless”), Swedish laglös (“lawless”), Norwegian lovløs (“lawless”), Icelandic löglaus (“lawless”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Law.