'handleless' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'handle' plus the suffix '-less' (from Old English 'lēas'), where 'handle' is related to Old English words for 'hand' or 'to hold' meaning 'a part used for holding' and '-less' meant 'without'.

'handleless' was formed in Middle/Modern English by compounding 'handle' + '-less' (the productive adjectival suffix meaning 'without'), and it entered modern English usage as the descriptive adjective 'handleless'.

Initially it meant 'lacking a handle' and over time it has retained this same basic meaning of 'without a handle'.