Definiteness
/ˌdɛfɪˈnɪtnəs/noun
The quality of being definite, clear, or precise.
Did you know?Its deepest ancestor is the Latin verb *dēfīnīre*, literally “to limit or set a boundary,” so “definiteness” began as the power of drawing a line around reality.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“to set, put, place”
Latin
Latin
fīnis
“end, boundary, limit”
Latin
Latin
dēfīnīre
“to set bounds to, determine, define”
Late Latin
Latin
dēfīnītus
“fixed, determined”
Old French
Old French
definite
“defined, bounded”
Middle English
English
definite
“limited, precise”
Modern English
English
definiteness
“the quality of being definite or precise”