Where does “bluntness” come from?
Bluntness derives from Middle English bluntnes, the quality of being blunt or dull.
bluntness (English): The characteristic of being blunt
Definitions
- The characteristic of being blunt
Ancestry of “bluntness”, step by step
bluntness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English blunt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | blunt | Having a thick edge or point; not sharp; Dull in... |
| 2 | English | -ness | Appended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the... |
| 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... |
via Middle English bluntnes
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bluntnes | — |