Heaviness
/ˈhɛv.i.nəs/noun
The quality or state of being heavy; a sense of weight or seriousness.
Did you know?The word comes from Old English roots meaning “heavy,” and its emotional sense grew naturally from the idea that sorrow and seriousness feel like a weight on the body.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷeḱ- / *gʷeh₂-
“A root associated with weight or heaviness”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þungaz
“Heavy, weighty”
Old English
English
hefig
“Heavy, burdensome”
Old English
English
hefignes
“The state or quality of being heavy”
Middle English
English
hevynes
“Weight; also seriousness or sorrow”
Modern English
English
heaviness
“The quality or state of being heavy; seriousness or melancholy”