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
Ancestry of “Indianness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | — |
| 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 |