standoffishness en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree English stand off Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English standoffish 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- 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 standoffishness From standoffish + -ness.
Meanings
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(uncountable) The state, quality, or condition of being standoffish or aloof and unsociable; aloofness.
Many of the seemingly bizarre courtship practices of English males—the cautiousness, reserve and apparent stand-offishness that foreign females complain about—are characteristic features of ‘negative politeness’.
2004, Kate Fox, “Rules of Sex”, in Watching the English, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 336:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| stand-offishness | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (4)
es reserva (unsociable) · es frialdad (unsociable) · pl nietowarzyskość (unsociable) · es hurañía (unsociable)