riskless

The word 'riskless' is a modern English compound formed by directly combining the noun 'risk' with the adjectival suffix '-less'. The root 'risk' entered English in the 17th century from French 'risque', which itself came from Italian 'rischio', likely of Arabic origin from 'rizq' meaning 'fortune' or 'providence'. The suffix '-less' is a native English element from Old English '-lēas', originally meaning 'free from' or 'without'. Therefore, the literal construction "without risk" maps perfectly onto its modern meaning of "safe" or "involving no danger," demonstrating a transparent and logical morphological process in English word formation.

Structure: risk (noun) + less (adjective suffix) - risk: From Italian 'risco' or 'rischio', meaning danger. Functions as the core noun root. - less: From Old English '-lēas', meaning devoid of, free from. Functions as a suffix forming adjectives meaning "without."