Where does “saintliness” come from?
Saintliness derives from Middle English -nesse, Old English -nes, Proto-Germanic -inassuz, and Proto-Germanic -inōną, suffix formations creating abstract nouns from adjectives.
saintliness (English): The property of being saintly
Definitions
- The property of being saintly
Ancestry of “saintliness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | saintly | Like or characteristic of a saint; befitting a... |
| 2 | English | Saint | A title given to a saint, often prefixed to the... |
| 3 | Middle English | saint | — |
| 4 | Old English | sanct | saint |
| 5 | Latin | sānctus | — |
| 6 | Latin | Iacobus | Jacob; James; Saint James |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | Ἰάκωβος | — |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Ἰακώβ | — |
| 9 | Hebrew | יַעֲקֹב | Jacob |
| 10 | Hebrew | עָקֵב | heel of the foot; heel |