Ligneousness
/ˈlɪɡ.ni.əs.nəs/noun
The quality of being woody or wood-like.
Did you know?“Ligneous” comes from Latin *ligneus*, from *lignum* meaning “wood,” the same root behind words like *lignify* and *lignin* in botany.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*legʰ-
“to collect, gather; wood is the gathered material”
Latin
Latin
lignum
“wood, timber”
Latin
Latin
ligneus
“of wood, woody”
Late Latin
Latin
ligneōsitās
“woodiness; the quality of being woody”
Middle English
English
ligneousnesse
“woodiness, the state of being woody”
Modern English
English
ligneousness
“the quality of being woody”
Explore more surprising origins