Where does “rottenness” come from?
Rottenness comes from Middle English rotennesse, formed from Middle English rotten plus the suffix -nesse, where rotten derives from Middle English -en applied to Latin rupta, meaning broken.
rottenness (English): The quality of being rotten
Definitions
- The quality of being rotten
Ancestry of “rottenness”, step by step
rottenness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rotten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rotten | Of perishable items, overridden with bacteria and... |
| 2 | Middle English | roten | To decompose; to make or become rotten or spoiled |
| 3 | Middle English | rote | The root; The foundation or base of a... |
| 4 | Old French | rote | route, path |
| 5 | Latin | rupta | nominative feminine singular of ruptus;... |
| 6 | Latin | ruptus | broken; ruptured, burst |
| 7 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |
via Middle English rotennesse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rotennesse | Rotting or decomposition; the situation where... |
| 2 | Middle English | -nesse | Affixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns... |
| 3 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |