Finnishness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The distinctive character, traits and cultural identity that make someone or something recognizably Finnish
2. The qualities, customs and spirit associated with Finland and its people that set them apart from others
3. Being Finnish in nature, a sense of national character rooted in Finland's language, traditions and way of life

Etymology: "Finnishness" is a plain English compound: the adjective "Finnish," from "Finn," followed by the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The result names the character or essence that makes something, or someone, distinctively Finnish. The adjective itself carries a long ancestry. "Finnish" descends from Old English "-isc" and its Germanic relatives, a suffix meaning "belonging to" or "characteristic of," so the adjective already denotes a nationality. The suffix "-ness" has an equally deep line, going back through Old English "-nes" and Proto-Germanic forms to a root meaning state or condition, which is why it attaches so readily to adjectives of any kind. Because the word is built transparently from two familiar parts, it is a self-explanatory coinage rather than a term with a dramatic history of its own. Its meaning follows directly from its pieces: a national spirit, the traits people associate with Finland, expressed as a single noun.