"-less" means "less than"? Or "lacking"?

[Laurence Horn]

>I recently bought "stainless steel" forks and knives from Crate and Barrel.
>The product description (included inside the box, not posted outside) read
>"Will It Stain?
>Yes. The name says it all. It's stain-less steel, not stain-free
>steel! Nevertheless, it will stain much less than other steels:
>silver, bronze, etc. With proper care, staining can be minimized or
>eliminated."
>
>Is this anything more than the manufacturer's careful wit? I
>wondered if that history is correct-- did the suffix "less" at one
>point simply indicate a comparison, as in "less than" or
>"comparatively little"?  I had always thought it meant "without"--
>painless = no pain, wireless = no wire, etc.
>
>Thanks,
>Darcie Dennigan

Opens up a world of possibilities--
"Yes, I promised you endless love--but I only meant *less* end, not
*no* end.  Bye now."

And what of deathless prose?  or timeless heirlooms?  or ceaseless
counterexamples?

Larry