-ness

• ⠰⠎
• -nesse (obsolete)

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).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /nəs/
  • (Old-fashioned RP) IPA^(key): /nɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /nəs/, /nɪ̈s/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /nɛs/

-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)".

   ‎calm + ‎-ness → ‎calmness

   ‎dark + ‎-ness → ‎darkness

   ‎kind + ‎-ness → ‎kindness

   ‎one + ‎-ness → ‎oneness

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.

   ‎that + ‎-ness → ‎thatness

   ‎tree + ‎-ness → ‎treeness

   ‎thug + ‎-ness → ‎thugness

• 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.
• Plurals are formed by adding -es, e.g. happiness → happinesses.

• -dom
• -hood
• -ship
• -itas
• -itude
• -th
• -ia
• -itia
• -ity
• -ism
• -ability
• -ibility
• -icity
• -osity

• ESNs, SE SN, SNES, Sens, Sens., sens

-ness

1. Alternative form of -nesse

• “-nes(se, suf.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 9 April 2018.