Where does “Indianness” come from?
Indianness is an English formation from Indian plus the Middle English suffix -nesse, derived from Old English -nes, which comes from Proto-Germanic -inassuz and -inōną denoting a quality or state.
Indianness (English): Quality of being Indian
Definitions
- Quality of being Indian
Ancestry of “Indianness”, step by step
Indianness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |