'lifelessness' originates from the Old English word 'lif', meaning 'life', combined with the suffix '-less', indicating 'without', and '-ness', forming a noun indicating a state or quality.

'lifeless' evolved from the Old English 'liflēas', meaning 'without life', and eventually became the modern English word 'lifelessness'.

Initially, it meant 'without life', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.