distinctness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌdɪˈstɪŋkt.nəs/ (US)
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English distinct 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 distinctness From distinct + -ness.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) The property or degree of being distinct.
In New York a Bohemian criminal is such a rarity that the case of two firebugs of several years ago is remembered with damaging distinctness.
1890, Jacob A[ugust] Riis, “The Bohemians—Tenement-house Cigarmaking”, in How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 137:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| distinctnesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |