Where does “strangeness” come from?
Strangeness derives from Middle English strangeness, formed with the Old English suffix -nes from an adjective related to Latin extraneus, meaning foreign or external, ultimately from Latin extra meaning outside.
strangeness (English): The state or quality of being strange, odd or...
Definitions
- The state or quality of being strange, odd or...
Ancestry of “strangeness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | straungenesse | Lack of attachment; alienation, enmity, indifference |
| 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... |