Where does “forgetfulness” come from?
Forgetfulness is a Middle English formation from forgetful and the suffix -nesse, denoting the quality or state of being forgetful.
forgetfulness (English): The quality of being forgetful; proneness to let...
Definitions
- The quality of being forgetful; proneness to let...
Ancestry of “forgetfulness”, step by step
forgetfulness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English forgetful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | forgetful | Unable to remember things well; liable to forget;... |
| 2 | English | -ful | Used to form adjectives from nouns. Full of,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ful | Appended to nouns to form adjectives denoting... |
| 4 | Old English | -ful | full of; -ful |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -fullaz | -ful |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |
via Middle English forgetfulnes
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | forgetfulnes | — |