Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “festnesse” come from?

festnesse (Middle English) comes from Old English fæstnes, from Old English -nes, from Proto-West Germanic -nassī, from Proto-Germanic -inassuz, from Proto-West Germanic -ī, from Proto-Germanic -į̄, from Proto-Indo-European -íh₂, from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

festnesse (Middle English): firmness; certainty; stronghold; firmament

Definitions

  1. firmness; certainty; stronghold; firmament

Ancestry of “festnesse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfæstnesfastness, firmness, firmament, fortification,...
2Old English-nesUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
3Proto-West Germanic-nassīUsed to form abstract nouns, usually from...
4Proto-Germanic-inassuz-ness
5Proto-West Germanic-ī-ness, -th
6Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
7Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
8Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

Words derived from “festnesse”

  • fastness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →