Devoutnesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being deeply religious or pious
2. the practice of demonstrating sincere devotion and commitment to one's faith
3. exhibiting a strong and earnest belief in spiritual principles and rituals

Etymology: "Devoutnesses" is the plural of "devoutness," a noun built from the adjective "devout" plus the suffix "-ness," which English has long used to turn adjectives into nouns of quality. The adjective "devout" arrived in Middle English from Old French "devot," which in turn came from Latin "dēvōtus," the past participle of "dēvovēre," meaning to vow or dedicate solemnly. That Latin verb was itself built from "dē-" (here meaning "down" or "completely") and "vovēre," to vow, so the core idea is of binding oneself by a formal promise. The suffix "-ness" has a much older lineage, descending from Old English "-nes," which attached to adjectives to name the state or quality they describe. Joining it to "devout" produced "devoutness," and the plural form simply pluralises the noun for cases where several distinct instances of that quality are being discussed.

Synonyms: piety, devotion, faithfulness, reverence, religiosity

Antonyms: impiety, irreverence, disbelief, unfaithfulness, skepticism