untowardness en · NOUN
Etymology
From untoward + -ness.
Meanings
-
(uncountable) The state or condition of being untoward.
[M]ans reaſon is ſo farre off from being the meaſurer of faith, vvhich very far exceedeth nature, that it is not ſo much as the meaſurer of nature, & of the leaſt creatures vvhich lie farre vnderneath man; becauſe of the ignorance and vntovvardnes vvhich is in vs and raigneth in vs.
1587, Philip of Mornay [i.e., Philippe de Mornay], “The Preface to the Reader”, in Philip Sidney, Arthur Golding, transl., A Woorke Concerning the Trewnesse of the Christian Religion, […], London: […] [John Charlewood and] George Robinson for Thomas Cadman, […], →OCLC:
- (countable) Something untoward.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| untowardnesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |