Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ugliness” come from?

Ugliness comes from Middle English -nesse, Old English -nes, Proto-Germanic -līkaz and līką, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European līg-.

ugliness (English): The condition of being ugly; An unsightly or...

Definitions

  1. The condition of being ugly; An unsightly or...

Ancestry of “ugliness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-nessAppended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the...
2Middle English-nesseAffixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns...
3Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
4Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
5Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
6Proto-West Germanic-ī-ness, -th
7Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
8Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
9Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →