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

/ nɛs /

noun

1. 1. archaic,  a promontory or headland

   2. ( capital as part of a name )

      Orford Ness

-ness

²

suffix

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

   greatness

   selfishness

   meaninglessness

   a kindness

Ness

³

/ nɛs /

noun

1. 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)

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

Origin of ness²

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

Example Sentences

As the actors perform, a woman called Ness, the spot effects guru, weaves around them, adding in lots of the sound effects in real time; the clinking of glasses, the shutting of a gate, or rustling of hay.

From BBC

Police said a man approached the child between midnight and 01:00 in the early hours of Thursday at the Loch Ness Bay campsite in Drumnadrochit.

From BBC

“I like that you pronounce business. Usually, when I say, ‘Standin’ on business,’ I say, ‘Standin’ on bih’ ’ness,’ ” Druski says after the now-famous audio plays.

From Los Angeles Times

So far Scotland's hottest day of this year was when the mercury rose above 28C at Drumnadrochit on the shore of Loch Ness on 20 June.

From BBC

Veytia, a portly figure with a bushy mustache, seemed an unlikely Eliot Ness, but he was credited with reducing violence and hailed as “the terror of every criminal” in a laudatory corrido, or ballad.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

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.