Where does “brittleness” come from?
Brittleness comes from Middle English brittle combined with the Old English suffix -nesse, derived from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -inōną.
brittleness (English): The property by virtue of which a material is...
Definitions
- The property by virtue of which a material is...
Ancestry of “brittleness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | brittle | Inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under... |
| 2 | English | -le | A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating... |
| 3 | Middle English | -el | — |
| 4 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 5 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |