-ness

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Etymology

From Middle English -nes, -nesse, from Old English -nis, -nes, from Proto-West Germanic *-nassī, from Proto-Germanic *-inassuz.

This suffix was formed already in Proto-Germanic by false division of the final consonant *-n- of the preceding stem + the actual suffix *-assuz. The latter was in turn derived from an earlier *-at(s)-tuz, from the verbal suffix *-at-janą + the noun suffix *-þuz.

Pronunciation

• (British) IPA: /nəs/
  • (old-fashioned RP) IPA: /nɪs/
  • (obsolete or dialectal) IPA: /nɛs/
• (New Zealand) IPA: /nəs/, [nɘs]
• (America) IPA: /nəs/, /nɪs/, /nɛs/

Suffix

1. Appended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the state of being (the adjective)", "the quality of being (the adjective)", or "the measure of being (the adjective)".

   calm + -ness → calmness

   dark + -ness → darkness

   kind + -ness → kindness

   one + -ness → oneness

2. Appended to words of other parts of speech to form nouns (often nonce words or terms in philosophy) meaning the state/quality/measure of the idea represented by these words.

   that + -ness → thatness

   tree + -ness → treeness

   thug + -ness → thugness

Synonyms

• -dom
• -hood
• -ship
• -itas

• -itude
• -th
• -ia
• -itia
• -ity
• -ism
• -ability
• -ibility
• -icity
• -osity

Translations

• French: -ité, -esse
• German: -nis, -heit, -keit
• Italian: -ità, -ezza
• Portuguese: -idade, -eza, -ez, -idão
• Russian: -ность
• Spanish: -idad

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