Godlinesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being divine or exhibiting characteristics attributed to a deity
2. the nature of moral righteousness and spiritual purity
3. a collection of acts or attributes that reflect a commitment to virtuous living and worshipful behavior

Etymology: The plural "godlinesses" is simply the noun "godliness" in its plural form, used when writers want to name several distinct acts or qualities of piety rather than piety as a single abstract state. The singular "godliness" is built from "godly" plus the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun meaning the quality it describes. So the word is literally "the state of being godly" with a further suffix stacked on top. "Godly" comes from "god" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ly", and that adjective-forming "-ly" traces back to a word meaning "body" or "form", so "godly" once meant something like "god-like in form". The "-ness" ending goes back to Old English "-nes", which makes abstract nouns from adjectives. Together the parts form a compound that has sat in English for centuries as a plain, transparent formation.

Synonyms: holiness, virtues, righteousness, piety, devotion

Antonyms: wickedness, immorality, evil, sinfulness