ness

¹

[ nes ]

noun

1. a headland; promontory; cape.

-ness

²

1. a native English suffix attached to adjectives and participles, forming abstract nouns denoting quality and state (and often, by extension, something exemplifying a quality or state):

   darkness; goodness; kindness; obligingness; preparedness.

-ness

¹

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating state, condition, or quality, or an instance of one of these

   greatness

   a kindness

   meaninglessness

   selfishness

Ness

²

/ nɛs /

noun

1. Loch Ness
   a lake in NW Scotland, in the Great Glen: said to be inhabited by an aquatic monster. Length: 36 km (22.5 miles). Depth: 229 m (754 ft)

ness

³

/ nɛs /

noun

1. 1. a promontory or headland
   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      Orford Ness

Word History and Origins

Origin of ness¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English -nes(s) (in placenames), in part continuing Old English næs, in part from Old Norse nes; akin to nose

Origin of ness²

Middle English, Old English -nes, -nis, cognate with German -nis, Gothic -(n)assus; suffix originally (unattested) -assus; -n- by false division of words with adjective and past participle stems ending in -n-; compare Old English efnes (later efen-nys ) evenness ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ness¹

Old English -nes, of Germanic origin; related to Gothic -nassus

Origin of ness²

Old English næs headland; related to Old Norse nes, Old English nasu nose

Example Sentences

Though he’s an avowed New Yorker, Esposito sees something special about the L.A.-ness of the event.

From Los Angeles Times

Apart from the central metaphor, its LGBTQ+-ness is expressed in brief, chaste moments of closeness between the two main male characters.

From Los Angeles Times

“I love the overlap between me and Alice, the queerness, the Asianness and just like the loudness, the kind of recklessness almost, you know? The obnoxiousness and also the unapologetic ness,” Cola said in January.

From Seattle Times

“He acknowledges his own piece-of-s—ness. The world is changing, and we’re looking back at a lot of people who were icons and realizing, ‘Wow, they were depraved.’

From Los Angeles Times

But her “L.A.-ness” is more profound than that.

From Los Angeles Times