Where does “clickbaitiness” come from?

clickbaitiness (English) comes from English clickbaity, from English clickbait, from English click, from Middle English cleken, from Middle English clechen, from Old English clēċan, from Old English clyċċan, from Proto-Germanic klukjaną — to swallow; swallow.

Ancestry of “clickbaitiness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishclickbaityOf, related to, or characteristic of clickbait
2EnglishclickbaitWebsite content that is aimed at generating...
3EnglishclickA brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively...
4Middle Englishclekento seize, clutch; to hatch
5Middle Englishclechento grab
6Old Englishclēċan
7Old Englishclyċċanto clutch, clench
8Proto-Germanicklukjaną
9Proto-Germanicklu-to ball up, conglomerate, amass
10Proto-Indo-Europeanglew-Alternative form of *gley-; to amass,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel-
clickbaitiness — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer