Fondness
/ˈfɒndnəs/noun
The state of feeling affection or liking for someone or something.
Did you know?Fondness comes from a word family once tied to being foolish or self-indulgent, showing how older English often treated intense affection as a kind of weakness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peu-
“to deceive, mock, or fool”
Old English
OE
fandian
“to test, try, prove”
Middle English
ME
fonned
“foolish, silly, weak-minded”
16th Century
English
fond
“foolish, infatuated, foolishly affectionate”
17th Century
English
fondness
“the quality of being fond; affection or liking”
Modern English
English
fondness
“affectionate liking or tender attachment”