Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gorgeousness” come from?

Gorgeousness derives from English gorgeous plus the suffix -ness, from Middle French gorgias of unknown origin, with -ness from Old English -nes, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, a noun-forming suffix related to the infinitive marker -inōną.

gorgeousness (English): The characteristic or quality of being gorgeous

Definitions

  1. The characteristic or quality of being gorgeous

Ancestry of “gorgeousness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-nessAppended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the...
2Middle English-nesseAffixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns...
3Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
4Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
5Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
6Proto-West Germanic-ī-ness, -th
7Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
8Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
9Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →