Blisfulnesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of profound happiness and contentment ; in older usage, the state of being blessed or favored by God
2. Deep, complete joy and delight ; an archaic sense meaning spiritual blessedness or heavenly grace
3. A feeling of intense gladness and peace ; a obsolete meaning referring to the holy state of being blessed

Etymology: Before "blissfulness" was spelled with a double s, Middle English writers used forms like "blisfulnesse," which was built from three parts that all went back to Old English. The core is "bliss," from Old English "blīss," meaning joy or gladness, closely tied to "blīthe," the ancestor of today's "blithe." Its suffix "-ful" meant "full of," and "-nesse" turned the adjective into a noun for the quality, so the whole thing meant "the state of being full of joy." The "-ful" and "-ness" endings were both productive in Old and Middle English, so the spelling shows how English speakers could stack familiar pieces to name a feeling. The doubled "ss" in modern "blissful" and "blissfulness" came with later spelling conventions, while the older "s" spellings reflected the pronunciation of the time more closely.