Where does “gayfulness” come from?

gayfulness (English) comes from English gayful, from English Gay, from English Queen, from Middle English quene, from Old English cwene, from Old English cwēn, from Proto-West Germanic kwāni, from Proto-Germanic kwēniz — woman.

gayfulness (English): The state, quality, or condition of being gayful

Definitions

  1. The state, quality, or condition of being gayful

Ancestry of “gayfulness”, step by step

gayfulness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English gayful

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgayfulFull of gaiety or cheerfulness; cheery; gay;...
2EnglishGayoriginally a nickname for a cheerful or lively person
3EnglishQueenA title used before the personal name of a queen
4Middle EnglishqueneA queen; Any powerful woman noble; A female...
5Old Englishcwenea woman; inflection of cwēn: ##...
6Old Englishcwēnqueen; woman, wife, queen
7Proto-West Germanickwāniwoman, wife
8Proto-Germanickwēnizwife
9Proto-Indo-Europeangʷḗnwoman
10Proto-Indo-Europeangʷen-woman

via English Ness

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNessAn Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa
2Middle Englishnesse
3Old Englishnæsnot, not at all; not; first/third-person singular...
4Proto-Germanicnasjąfoothill; headland; cape
5Proto-Indo-Europeannéh₂snose
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷen-Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗnEvery word from Proto-Germanic kwēniz