Where does “loneliness” come from?
Loneliness derives from English lonely, which combines English lone from Old English ān meaning "one" with English -ness, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European ḱóm and līg-.
loneliness (English): A feeling of depression resulting from being...
Definitions
- A feeling of depression resulting from being...
Ancestry of “loneliness”, step by step
loneliness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lonely
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lonely | Unhappy because of feeling isolated from contact... |
| 2 | English | Lone | Solitary; having no companion |
| 3 | English | alone | By oneself, solitary; Apart from, or exclusive... |
| 4 | Middle English | allone | alone |
| 5 | Middle English | on | on, in; on; Alternative form of oon |
| 6 | Old English | on | on, in, at, among; from |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | ana | on |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *an | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | ana | on, at; on, onto; ana |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An 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 |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |