affectlessness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈaˌfɛktləsnəs/ (UK)
Etymology
Etymology tree English affectless Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- 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 affectlessness From affectless + -ness.
Meanings
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(uncountable) Emotional detachment; a lack of feeling.
That is, she has an amoral affectlessness, a serene indifference to the suffering of others, which she invites and dispassionately observes as tests of her power.
1990, Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae: