Where does “tiredness” come from?
Tiredness comes from Middle English -nesse, Old English -nes, and Proto-Germanic -inassuz and -inōną, ultimately deriving from a Germanic root meaning to wear out or exhaust.
tiredness (English): The state of being tired
Ancestry of “tiredness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | — |
| 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 |