A derivational suffix frequent in nouns of OE origin, denoting a quality: arghnesse, bitternesse, clennesse, evennesse, foryetelnesse, foryevenesse, gladnesse, godnesse, gretnesse, hardnesse, heighnesse, hethenesse, hevinesse, holinesse, idelnesse, ivelnesse, latnesse, lernesse, lightnesse, liknesse, litelnesse, rightwisnesse, etc.; a state or condition: arvethnesse, evennesse, thesternesse, thrinesse, etc.; an emotion: bitternesse, gladnesse, etc.; a law: isetnesse; an action or event: akennednesse, birinesse, bitternesse, foryevenesse, godnesse, gretnesse, hevinesse, holinesse, knounesse, lesnesse, rightwisnesse, etc.; a thing, place, or person: birinesse, foryevenesse, hardnesse, heighnesse, hethenesse, holinesse, idelnesse, isetnesse, lightnesse, liknesse, thesternesse, thrinesse, etc. Very much a living suffix, -nes(se, is added to ME words of OE origin; i.e., to adjectives to form nouns denoting a quality, state or condition, an emotion, an action or event, a thing: bisinesse, blaknesse, brounnes, frenesse, grennesse, kenes, kindenesse, lenenesse, lessenesse, leuednesse, leuknesse, lothnesse, narwenesse, etc.; to participles to form nouns denoting a quality, a condition, an emotion, an event, etc.: arisnesse, drednesse, foryetingnesse, hiddenesse, lastingnesse, likingnes, etc.; to a noun to form nouns denoting a quality, condition, etc.: borwenesse, hetenes, lovenesse, mannesse, etc.; perh. to a verb to form a noun denoting a quality or an abstraction: levenesse. Further ME formations arise from the addition of -nes(se to words of OF origin; i.e., to adjectives to form nouns denoting a quality, an emotion, an action, a thing: ablenesse, attemprenesse, avisenesse, boistousnesse, certainnesse, charitablenesse, chastnesse, chinchenes, clernesse, finesse, hastinesse, honestnesse, jelousnesse, joiausnesse, jolinesse, lachenesse, largenesse, roundnesse, straungenesse, tendernesse, etc., (adj. from AF) likerousnesse; to a ppl. to form noun denoting a condition or a thing: bougednesse; to a noun to form noun denoting a quality: bountenes; to verbs to form nouns denoting a quality, an emotion, an action: cherishnes, (?from noun) mendnesse, etc. The use of -nes(se with words from languages other than English and French is rare, but a few examples can be given. It is added to adjectives of ON origin to form nouns denoting a quality, a condition, an action, a thing: mirkenesse, wrongnesse, (?adj. from OF) blonesse; to ppl. to form noun denoting a quality or condition: dasednesse; to a noun to form noun denoting a condition or an emotion: angernesse. It is added to a noun from MDu. to form a noun which can be an abstract or a collective: Lollardnes. It is added to an adj. of Celtic or Celtic and OE origin to form a noun denoting a quality: baddenesse. It is added to an adj. from Latin to form a noun denoting a quality: laxnes; to an adj. from either ML or OF to form a noun denoting a quality: lenitivenes. [The lists here given are not intended to be exhaustive.]