ness
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English nesse (in placenames), from Old English ness, næss, from Proto-Germanic *nasją (“promontory; ness”); cognate with Middle Low German nes, Icelandic nes, Swedish näs, Danish næs, Old Norse nes. Related to nose.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ness (plural nesses)
- (geography) A promontory; a cape or headland. (Frequently used as a suffix in placenames.)
- 1958, Eric Rücker Eddison, Zimiamvian Trilogy[1], volume 3, The Mezentian Gate, page 177:
- Velvraz Sebarm stands upon the lake, among orange-trees and pomegranates and almonds and peaches of the south, a mile north-west over the water from Zayana town, and two miles by land: an old castle built of honey-coloured marble at the tip of a long sickle-shaped ness that sweeps round southwards, with wild gardens running down in the rocks to the water’s edge, and behind the castle a wood of holm-oaks making a wind-break against the north.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
a promontory; a cape or headland
See also edit
References edit
- “ness”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- The Collins English Dictionary, Collins, London & Glasgow 1986
Anagrams edit
Vilamovian edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German neʒʒe, from Old High German nazī (“wetness”). Cognate with German Nässe
Noun edit
ness f (plural nessa)
- rainy weather
- wetness