'flowerless' is formed in English by combining 'flower' with the suffix '-less', where '-less' means 'without'.

'Flower' comes from Old French 'flor' or 'flour', from Latin 'florem', and '-less' is an Old English suffix meaning 'without'. The combination 'flowerless' appeared in modern English to describe something lacking flowers.

Initially, it meant 'without flowers', and this meaning has remained unchanged in modern usage.