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

Calabasas 67, Valencia 57: Grayson Coleman scored 25 points and had 15 rebounds and Josh Ness made his first four three-point attempts in the first quarter and had 19 points to lead Calabasas.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

In our own research and more representative surveys, a higher percentage of respondents tend to say they believe in Bigfoot than other cryptids, including the Yeti, Chupacabra, Loch Ness Monster, and, the Mothman.

From Slate

More than an hour after he started his rampage, Sheldone ran over a 70-year-old pedestrian crossing the street at Van Ness Avenue and Golden Gate Avenue, prosecutors allege.

From Los Angeles Times

"When I got down on the fire escape, they were all going ‘I saw the way to threw that burger at me Ness, it was lush’."

From BBC

Words That Use -ness

What does -ness mean?

The suffix –ness is used to denote a quality or state of being. It is often used in a variety of everyday terms.

The form –ness comes from Old English –nes. Similar suffixes in Latin include –itās and –tūdō, both of which indicate a state of being and are the sources of the English suffixes –ity and –tude. Check out our entries for both suffixes to learn how frequently they appear.

Examples of -ness

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –ness is bitterness, “a harsh, acrid taste.”

The bitter– part of the word means “bitter” in the sense of “having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste.” As we have seen, –ness means “quality” or “state of being.” Bitterness literally means “the state of being bitter.”

What are some words that use the combining form –ness?

• likeness
• pleasantness
• thirstiness
• uprightness
• usefulness
• worthiness

What are some other forms that –ness may be commonly confused with?

• -less

Break it down!

Given the meaning of –ness, what does pleasantness mean?