Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nonwhiteness” come from?

nonwhiteness (English) comes from English whiteness, from Middle English whitenesse, from Old English hwītnes, from Old English -nes, from Proto-West Germanic -nassī, from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, from Proto-West Germanic -ī, from Proto-Germanic -į̄ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

nonwhiteness (English): The property of not being racially white

Definitions

  1. The property of not being racially white

Ancestry of “nonwhiteness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhitenessThe state or quality of being white
2Middle Englishwhitenesse—
3Old Englishhwītneswhiteness
4Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
5Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
6Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
7Proto-West Germanic-ī-ness, -th
8Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
9Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
10Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →