Lengthinesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being lengthy, often referring to an excessive or prolonged nature
2. the extent of duration or degree of extensiveness in various contexts
3. an attribute indicating a tendency to be verbose or overly detailed in expression

Etymology: "Lengthinesses" is simply the plural of "lengthiness," so it follows the same path as its base. The word "lengthiness" is formed from "lengthy" and the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun naming a quality. Here, "lengthy" meant long in extent or duration, and "-ness" is the Old English suffix that has been attached to adjectives since the earliest English. That suffix descends from a Proto-Germanic root meaning a state or condition, which is why "lengthiness" reads as "the state of being lengthy." "Lengthy" itself is built from "length" and the adjective-forming "-y," a combination English has used since Middle English. Over time the sense narrowed from physical measurement toward the tedious, drawn-out quality of speech or writing, which is how the word came to name a habit of verbosity.

Synonyms: verbosity, wordiness, prolixity, long-windedness, tediousness

Antonyms: conciseness, brevity, terse style, succinctness, compactness