retheness
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English rethnes, from Old English rēþnes (“fierceness, rage, cruelty, severity, zeal, savageness, ferocity, harshness, storminess”), equivalent to rethe + -ness. Cognate with Scots rethnas (“retheness”).
Noun edit
retheness (uncountable)
- (Now chiefly dialectal) The character, state, or condition of being rethe; fierceness; wildness; roughness; harshness; sternness; cruelty.