harmlessness

English

Etymology

Etymology tree
English harmless
Proto-Germanic *-in-
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti
Proto-Germanic *-ōną
Proto-Germanic *-inōną
Proto-Indo-European *-dyé-der.
Proto-Germanic *-atjaną
Proto-Indo-European *-tus
Proto-Germanic *-þuz
Proto-Germanic *-assuz
Proto-Germanic *-inassuz
Proto-West Germanic *-nassī
Old English -nes
Middle English -nesse
English -ness
English harmlessness

    From harmless + -ness.

    Noun

    harmlessness (usually uncountable, plural harmlessnesses)

    1. The characteristic of being harmless.
      • 2006, Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation, Atlantic Books, published 2007, page 79:
        Already, at this very early date, the ritualists were moving towards the ideal of ahimsa ("harmlessness") that would become the indispensable virtue of the Indian Axial Age.

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

    Translations

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