Erthinesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of being earthly, material, or concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters
2. An archaic term for the quality of belonging to the earth and its mortal, physical concerns
3. Worldliness or earthly nature, as opposed to what is heavenly, holy, or spiritual in character

Etymology: Erthinesse is built entirely from native English parts. It combines "erthly," meaning earthly, with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a state or quality. The adjective goes back to Old English "eorþlic," formed from "eorþe," earth, and the ending "-lic," which gave modern "-ly." The sense of being worldly rather than spiritual comes from the contrast the adjective was regularly used to draw. Earthly things were set against heavenly or spiritual ones, so "erthinesse" names the quality of belonging to the material world. It is a rare form, and most English speakers would recognize its parts before its meaning.