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Webster 1913 Edition

-ness

-ness

.
[AS.
-ness
,
-nyss
,
-nys
; akin to OS.
-nissi
,
nussi
, D.
-nis
, OHG.
-nissa
,
-nassī
,
-nussī
, G.
-nis
,
-niss
, Goth.
-inasus
.]
A suffix used to form abstract nouns expressive of
quality
or
state
;
as, good
ness
, great
ness
.

Definition 2024

-ness

-ness

See also: ness and Ness

English

Alternative forms

Suffix

-ness

  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)".
    calmness ← calm
    darkness ← dark
    kindness ← kind
    oneness ← one
  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.
    thatness ← that
    treeness ← tree

Usage notes

If adjective ends in -y, then this changes to -i- when -ness is suffixed. This occurs both when the -y is the suffix -y ‎(“having the quality of”), as in mess → messy → messiness (hence -y → -i-), but also in other cases, as in comely → comeliness.

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • Category:English words suffixed with -ness

Translations

Etymology

From Middle English -nes, -nesse, from Old English -nis, -nes, from Proto-Germanic *-nassuz. 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.

Cognates are Old Saxon -nissi, -nussi, Dutch -nis, German -nis and Gothic -𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐍃 ‎(-assus), -𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐍃 ‎(-inassus).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /nəs/
  • (Old-fashioned RP) IPA(key): [nɪs]
  • (US) IPA(key): [nɪ̈s]

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