Definitions

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • A suffix used to form abstract nouns expressive of quality or state.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English, from Old English -nis, -nes ("-ness"), from Proto-Germanic *-nassuz (“-ness”), alteration (by false division) of -n- (adjective and verbal terminating consonant) + Proto-Germanic *-assuz (“-ness”). Akin to Old Saxon -nissi, -nussi (Dutch -nis), Old High German -nissa, -nassi, -nussi (German -nis), Gothic -inasus, -inassus

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Examples

  • The "married"-ness refers to the incredible harmony between pork and bitter greens – a marriage made in the muck of smallholdings rather than the heavens, but special and sacred nonetheless.

    Jacob Kenedy's Italian Christmas recipes 2011

  • I think there is a certain joy and a certain abandonment that this record has that really comes from the "live"-ness, the spontaneity, and the fear factor of recording live.

    Mike Ragogna: Sing It Loud: Chatting with k.d. lang, JD Souther and Bobby Long, Plus a Beginners Audio Exclusive Mike Ragogna 2011

  • I think there is a certain joy and a certain abandonment that this record has that really comes from the "live"-ness, the spontaneity, and the fear factor of recording live.

    Mike Ragogna: Sing It Loud: Chatting with k.d. lang, JD Souther and Bobby Long, Plus a Beginners Audio Exclusive Mike Ragogna 2011

  • The company stated that the rent it charged workers was calculated to amortize the cost of the cottages over five years at 6 percent a year, but that only underscores its excessive -ness.

    Colossus Michael Hiltzik 2010

  • The company stated that the rent it charged workers was calculated to amortize the cost of the cottages over five years at 6 percent a year, but that only underscores its excessive -ness.

    Colossus Michael Hiltzik 2010

  • Before filming the skating scene, the men sat huddled in Johnson's tiny trailer and their boyish manliness exposed itself: They talked about the "awesome"-ness that is Bob Dylan and taunted Greenfield for his in-depth knowledge of "Glee."

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

  • The results showed that specific details of the cranial bones and beak - such as the relative "spongy"-ness of the bone at different places in the skull and the unequal lengths of the upper and lower parts of the beak - were crucial for preventing impact injury.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph Telegraph Staff 2011

  • Here are suggestions for some television shows that might be able to replace what you love about the "Mad"-ness in your life.

    msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines 2011

  • "With-it"-ness takes work, like reading the right blogs every day, challenging yourself to stay abreast of the latest technology, and social media marketing.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Marty Zwilling 2011

  • Before filming the skating scene, the men sat huddled in Johnson's tiny trailer and their boyish manliness exposed itself: They talked about the "awesome"-ness that is Bob Dylan and taunted Greenfield for his in-depth knowledge of "Glee.

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

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