Where does “fairnesse” come from?

fairnesse (Middle English) comes from Middle English faire, from Old English fæger, from Proto-Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic fagraz, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂ḱ- — to fasten, place.

fairnesse (Middle English): fairness

Definitions

  1. fairness

Ancestry of “fairnesse”, step by step

fairnesse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English faire

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfairefair; handsome; beautiful; attractive
2Old Englishfægerbeautiful; pleasant; beauty
3Proto-Germanic*fagr—
4Proto-Germanicfagrazsuitable, fitting, appropriate, nice
5Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂ḱ-to fasten, place

via Middle English nesse

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnesse—
2Old Englishnæsnot, not at all; not; first/third-person singular...
3Proto-Germanicnasjąfoothill; headland; cape
4Proto-Indo-Europeannéh₂snose
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂ḱ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic fagraz →Every word from Proto-Germanic *fagr →