Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “profaneness” come from?

Profaneness derives from English profane, from Middle French prophane, from Latin profanus meaning "outside the temple," formed from the prefix pro- and the root bʰuH- ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European per-.

profaneness (English): The quality of being profane; profanity

Definitions

  1. The quality of being profane; profanity

Ancestry of “profaneness”, 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...

Words derived from “profaneness”

  • prophaneness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →