the word 'tongueless' is a transparent compound formed within english from its native germanic elements. the first element, 'tongue', descends from the old english tunge, tracing back to the proto-indo-european root dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s, which referred to the physical organ. the suffix '-less' originates from old english -lēas, meaning "without," derived from a germanic adjective signifying "loose" or "empty." the literal combination, "without a tongue," was readily extended in a figurative sense. this allowed 'tongueless' to describe not only a physical condition but also the state of being mute or silent, demonstrating how a concrete anatomical term can evolve to convey abstract concepts of speechlessness.

Structure: tongue (body part) + less (without) tongue (from old english tunge, of germanic origin; related to dutch tong, german zunge, from proto-indo-european dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s meaning "tongue") + less (from old english -lēas, meaning "devoid of, free from", from proto-germanic -lausaz)