Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “penetrativeness” come from?

penetrativeness (English) comes from English Ness, from Middle English nesse, from Old English næs, from Proto-Germanic nasją, from Proto-Indo-European néh₂s — nose.

penetrativeness (English): The quality of being penetrative

Definitions

  1. The quality of being penetrative

Ancestry of “penetrativeness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNess—
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 néh₂s →