'petallessness' originates from English, specifically formed from the word 'petal' with the suffixes '-less' and '-ness', where 'petal' ultimately comes from Greek 'petalon' meaning 'leaf or thin plate', '-less' meant 'without', and '-ness' forms a noun meaning 'state or condition'.

'petallessness' changed from the Greek word 'petalon' to the New Latin 'petalum', which entered modern European languages and became the English 'petal'; English then combined 'petal' + '-less' to form 'petalless', and later added '-ness' to yield 'petallessness'.

Initially, the root 'petalon' meant 'leaf', but over time the sense narrowed to the 'leaf-like part of a flower' (a 'petal'); 'petallessness' thus came to mean 'the condition of lacking petals'.