ness (n.)

"point of land running into the sea," obsolete except in place names (Holderness, Dungeness, etc.) and surnames, Old English næs (West Saxon, Northumbrian), nes (Mercian, Kentish), "a promontory," related to nasu "nose" (from PIE root *nas- "nose"). Cognate with and probably partly from Old Norse nes, Danish næs; also Swedish näs, Middle Dutch nesse.

Entries linking to ness

*nas-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "nose."

It forms all or part of: nares; nark; nasal; nasopharynx; nasturtium; ness; nose; nostril; nozzle; nuzzle; pince-nez.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit nasa, Old Persian naham, Latin nasus, Old Church Slavonic nasu, Lithuanian nosis, Old English nosu, German Nase "nose."

Trends of ness

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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cape

"sleeveless cloak, circular covering for the shoulders," a Spanish style, late 16c., from French cape, from Spanish capa, from Late Latin cappa "hooded cloak" (see cap (n.), which is a doublet). Late Old English had capa, cæppe "cloak with a hood," directly from Latin...."promont

alyssum

," from a- "not, without" (see a- (3)) + lyssa "madness, martial rage, fury," an abstract word probably literally "wolf-ness...

lyssophobia

madness," also the name given to the "worm" of cartilage under a dog's tongue," an abstract word probably literally "wolf-ness...

Inverness

literally "mouth of the (River) Ness (probably from an Old Celtic word meaning "roaring one"), from Inver-, element in place...

mass

The Latin word sometimes was glossed in Old English as sendnes "send-ness."...

earnest

Sometimes in Middle English as erness, suggesting it was perceived as er "early" + -ness....

business

.)) + -ness....

tongue

Old English tunge "tongue, organ of speech; speech, a people's language," from Proto-Germanic *tungō (source also of Old Saxon and Old Norse tunga, Old Frisian tunge, Middle Dutch tonghe, Dutch tong, Old High German zunga, German Zunge, Gothic tuggo), from PIE root *dnghu-

land

Old English lond, land, "ground, soil," also "definite portion of the earth's surface, home region of a person or a people, territory marked by political boundaries," from Proto-Germanic *landja- (source also of Old Norse, Old Frisian Dutch, Gothic land, German Land), perhaps fro

terra firma

c. 1600, "part of the Italian mainland ruled by Venice," from Modern Latin terra firma, literally "firm land," from Latin terra "earth, land" (from PIE root *ters- "to dry") + firma, fem. of firmus "strong, steadfast" (from suffixed form of PIE root *dher- "to hold firmly, suppor

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updated on May 25, 2019

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