Homlynesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Close familiarity or easy intimacy between people ; a plain, unpretentious simplicity in manner, dress, or way of living
2. The state of being on intimate, familiar terms with someone ; an unadorned, humble simplicity that avoids all show or display
3. Easy, familiar closeness shared between people ; a modest and artless plainness, free of ornament or pretense

Etymology: Middle English "homlynesse" was built from two Old English parts. The first, "hām," meant "home," and "-lic" made it an adjective meaning "belonging to the home." Adding "-nesse," the ancestor of modern "-ness," turned that adjective into a noun for the quality of being domestic, familiar, or unpretentious. The spelling shows the Middle English pronunciation, with the vowel in the middle syllable softened. Its most surprising feature is how far its later relatives drifted. The adjective "homely" kept its sense of cosy, familiar and plain in British English, but in American English it came to mean "unattractive," a meaning that has no trace in the older word. The noun itself fell out of use, and "homeliness" survives as its modern descendant.