Lightnesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or condition of being light in weight or color; a state of buoyancy that offers ease of movement or expression; an emotional or aesthetic sense of joy and airiness that uplifts the spirit
2. The characteristics of having a lack of heaviness or seriousness; a feeling of levity that can manifest in physical movement or emotional wellbeing; an artistic quality that conveys brightness and cheerfulness
3. An attribute representing the absence of heaviness, both physically and metaphorically; a sensation of freedom and grace in behavior or mood; a visual aspect that emphasizes brightness and clarity

Etymology: "Lightnesses" is simply the plural of "lightness," so it is the form that counts several instances of that quality or several such states. The noun "lightness" itself carries a surprising split: its two main senses come from two different Old English words that happen to have become identical. One, from "līhtnes" and "lȳhtnys," meant "enlightening" or "illumination," the sense of making something bright, and it is rooted in the verb "light," meaning to illuminate. The other, from "lēohtnes," meant "not heavy," and the source words behind it include "lēohtmōdnes," literally "light-mindedness," and "līhtingnes," meaning "alleviation." The suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun of state or quality, is the same one found in words like "kindness" and "darkness." So the sense "freedom from heaviness" is attached to the adjective "light," and the sense "brightness" to the verb. Medieval English speakers therefore used one spelling for both, and the two meanings have run side by side ever since.

Synonyms: brightnesses, luminosities, delicacies, levities

Antonyms: heavinesses, darknesses, seriousnesses, gravity