Where does “toughness” come from?
Toughness derives from Middle English toughnesse, a noun formation from the adjective tough denoting the quality of being difficult to break or tear.
toughness (English): The state of being tough; Resistance to fracture...
Definitions
- The state of being tough; Resistance to fracture...
Ancestry of “toughness”, step by step
toughness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tough
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tough | Strong and resilient; sturdy; Difficult to cut or... |
| 2 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 3 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 4 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 5 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 6 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |
via Middle English toughnesse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | toughnesse | — |