'anchorless' is formed from the word 'anchor' and the suffix '-less', where 'anchor' comes from Latin 'ancora' meaning 'anchor', and '-less' is an Old English suffix meaning 'without'.

'anchorless' was created in English by combining 'anchor' and '-less', following the pattern of forming adjectives meaning 'without [something]'.

Initially, it meant 'without an anchor' in the literal sense, but over time it has also come to mean 'without stability or direction' in a figurative sense.