Thickness
/ˈθɪk.nəs/noun
The quality or state of being thick; the measurement of how thick something is.
Did you know?Thickness comes from Old English þiccnes, built from þicce (“thick”) + the noun-forming suffix -ness, and its deeper Indo-European root also gave English words like thigh and thigh-bone imagery tied to bulk and strength.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*teg-
“to cover or protect; source of words for thick, dense, and covering in Germanic branches”
Old English
Old English
þicce
“thick; dense; swollen or solid”
Old English
Old English
þiccnes
“thickness; density; the state of being thick”
Middle English
Middle English
thiknesse
“thickness; density; bulk”
Modern English
English
thickness
“the quality or state of being thick”