Where does “aloneness” come from?
Aloneness comes from Middle English alonnesse, formed by adding the Middle English suffix -nesse to alone, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- meaning to grow or nourish.
aloneness (English): The state of being alone; solitude, isolation
Definitions
- The state of being alone; solitude, isolation
Ancestry of “aloneness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | alonnesse | solitude; isolation |
| 2 | Middle English | -ness | Alternative form of -nesse |
| 3 | Middle English | -nesse | Affixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns... |
| 4 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |