Where does “purposiveness” come from?
Purposiveness derives from English purpose plus the suffix -nes, tracing through Old English -nes, Latin -ivus, and Latin pono meaning "to place," with roots in Proto-Indo-European pro- and bʰuH-.
purposiveness (English): The state or condition of being purposive
Definitions
- The state or condition of being purposive
Ancestry of “purposiveness”, step by step
purposiveness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English purposive
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | purposive | Serving a particular purpose; adapted to a given... |
| 2 | English | purpose | An objective to be reached; a target; an aim; a... |
| 3 | Middle English | purposen | — |
| 4 | Old French | purposer | to propose; to make a proposition |
| 5 | Latin | prōpōnere | — |
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 |