Affableness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of exhibiting warmth and friendliness is described as a certain geniality
2. A notable ability to be kind and approachable can be seen as a form of gracious charm
3. The quality of being pleasant, approachable, and easy to converse with

Etymology: Affableness is about as plain as English word-building gets: it is "affable" with the suffix "-ness" attached. "Affable" came into English from French, and it traces back through Old French to Latin "affabilis", meaning "that can be spoken to", built from "affari", "to address". The Latin root thus describes a person who is easy to approach in conversation, which is close to the modern sense. The suffix does the rest of the work. "-ness" is a native English ending, descended from Old English "-nes" and ultimately from an ancient Germanic suffix that turned adjectives into nouns of quality. Attaching it to "affable" produces a noun for the state of being affable, so the word simply names that quality in the abstract.

Synonyms: friendliness, amiability, cordiality, geniality, sociability

Antonyms: hostility, rudeness, unfriendliness, coldness, aloofness