Where does “wickedness” come from?
Wickedness comes from Middle English wickednes, formed with the Middle English suffix -nesse from Old English -nes, which derives from Proto-Germanic -inōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyk-.
wickedness (English): The state of being wicked; evil disposition;...
Definitions
- The state of being wicked; evil disposition;...
Ancestry of “wickedness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wikkednesse | Alternative form of wickednes |
| 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... |