Availableness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of being ready for use or accessible when needed
2. A state in which something can be obtained or used without restriction
3. The quality of being obtainable or at hand for a particular purpose

Etymology: "Availableness" is a plain English compound: the adjective "available" with the suffix "-ness" attached, turning a quality into a noun for that quality. "Available" itself came into English from Old French "available," a derivative of "avaloir," meaning "to avail" or "to be of use," which in turn traces back through Latin "valere," "to be strong, be worth." So the word's core idea is worth or strength, now stretched into "able to be used or obtained." The suffix does the grammatical work. Its ancestor, Proto-Germanic "-assuzi" (with a close relative "-inassuz"), was a noun-forming ending that passed through Old English as "-nes" and Middle English as "-nesse," eventually becoming the modern "-ness" that English speakers attach freely to adjectives. The same ending appears in words such as "kindness" and "darkness." Because "-ness" can be added to nearly any adjective, "availableness" is a formation English speakers could create on the spot, which is why it is less common than "availability," the more established noun for the same idea. Its meaning, readiness for use, is simply the sum of its parts.

Synonyms: availability, accessibility

Antonyms: inaccessibility, unavailability