English
hearsomeness
Hearsomeness comes from Old English hīersumnes ‘obedience’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hīersumnes‘obedience’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hersumnesse
- Englishearliest quotation 1939hearsomeness
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hīersumnes‘obedience’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hersumnesse
- Englishearliest quotation 1939hearsomeness
Earliest quotation: 1939, James Joyce: “Thus the hearsomeness of the burger felicitates the whole…”
Formed from hearsome + -ness
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
…
Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan ‘to hear’
Proto-West Germanic *hauʀisam ‘obedient’
Old English hīersum ‘obedient’
Middle English hersum ‘obedient’
English hearsome
Every English word from Old English hīersumnes
Today it means
noun Obedience; submission to authority.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English hīersumnes / hearsomeness