Gudeness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being morally good, kind and virtuous, as an archaic or Scottish form of goodness
2. Virtuous character or kindly disposition, a older Scots and northern English term for goodness itself
3. An old-fashioned word for moral goodness, benevolence and the excellence of a person's character

Etymology: "Gudeness" is a Scots word meaning goodness, quality, or kindness, and it is a close cousin of English "goodness" that took a different path. The root is Old English "gōd," which in Middle English and Scots developed a northern form "gude" (the vowel shifted as the language moved north), so "gudeness" is "gude" plus the suffix "-ness," which forms abstract nouns of quality from adjectives. The suffix itself is native Old English, not borrowed. The notable twist is that "gude" and "good" are the same word, just differently pronounced and spelled in different dialects. Scots kept a vowel sound that Standard English moved away from, so "gude" sits in the same family as "good" much as "guid" does in modern Scots spelling. Its use is most common in Scots literature and in the phrase "gude-wife," an old term for a householder or mistress of a house, later shortened in standard English to "goodwife."

Synonyms: goodness, kindness, virtue, benevolence

Antonyms: wickedness, badness, evil