English

Noun

chairness ‎(uncountable)

1. The essence of what it means to be a chair; the qualities that make a chair what it is.
   • 2003, Ann Parker, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, Vintage (2003), ISBN 9780375727139, page 177:

     He extended his finger and outlined the shape of the chair. "It's about forms and negative space — she's taken the chairness away from the chair and left it purely object."

   • 2011, Thad Nodine, Touch and Go, Unbridled Books (2011), ISBN 9781609530617, page 39:

     I can identify the pattern of wood grain on my chair at Mom and Dad's kitchen table, but I don't try to sketch it in my mind. For me, chairness is nonvisual; it's the feel of a seat connected to four legs and a backrest.

   • 2012, Jesse Prinz, The Conscious Brain, Oxford University Press (2012), ISBN 9780195314595, page 74:

     When you look at a chair, you are aware of its shape from a particular point of view, but defenders of this objection insist that you are also aware of its chairness.