'lungless' originates from English, specifically a compound of the word 'lung' and the suffix '-less', where 'lung' referred to the respiratory organ and '-less' meant 'without'.

'lung' comes from Old English (e.g. 'lungen'/'lunge') and the suffix '-less' comes from Old English 'lēas' meaning 'free from'; the modern adjective 'lungless' formed in English by combining these elements.

Initially the elements meant 'lung' (the organ) and 'without'; over time they were combined into the single descriptive adjective 'lungless', whose meaning remains 'without lungs'.