Charmingness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of possessing an enchanting and pleasing character that captivates others
2. A quality that evokes admiration and delight, making someone or something irresistibly appealing
3. The state or quality of having an attractive and delightful nature that draws people in

Etymology: "Charmingness" is a plain formation: the adjective "charming" with the suffix "-ness" added. The suffix has a long pedigree, tracing back through Old English "-nes" and Proto-Germanic roots to an ancient Indo-European ending that forms abstract nouns from adjectives. Its job has always been to turn a quality into a thing you can name, so "greatness" is the state of being great, and "charmingness" is the state of being charming. The base word "charming" comes from "charm," which passed into English from Old French "charme," itself from Latin "carmen," meaning a song or incantation. The original sense was magical: a charm was a spell sung or spoken over someone. Over centuries that magical sense softened into the idea of an attractive, pleasing manner. The adjective "charming" took on that social meaning, and "charmingness" follows the same path, describing the quality of being pleasing to others.