Landedness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition or quality of being a person or entity that holds property in land
2. The state of having acquired or possessing real estate or territory as an owner
3. The quality or status of being a proprietor of land or real property

Etymology: "Landed" is "land" plus the adjectival suffix "-ed," and "landedness" adds "-ness" to turn that adjective into a noun for a state or quality. "Land" in Old English meant ground or soil, and the sense of a person holding that ground as property developed from it. So "landed" describes someone who owns land, and the noun names that condition. The suffix "-ness" comes from Old English "-nes," which is related to German "-nis." It has long been used to form abstract nouns from adjectives, as in "kindness" or "happiness." This word is a transparent formation of that kind, and its value lies in letting writers treat land ownership as a quality a person or institution possesses, such as the social standing of a family or estate.

Synonyms: landownership

Antonyms: landlessness