Loftiness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being very high or elevated ; possessing a noble or elevated character or style
2. The state of a place or object being raised far above the ground ; showing excellence or grandeur in manner or thought
3. Having a physically tall or exalted position ; demonstrating dignity or impressive superiority

Etymology: Loftiness is a plain formation: the adjective "lofty" with the suffix "-ness", which turns a quality into a noun. The suffix has a long pedigree of its own. It descends from a Proto-Germanic form that also gave Old English "-nes", and over time it became the productive English ending that attaches to adjectives such as "kindness", "darkness" and "happiness". The adjective "lofty" is the older and more interesting piece. It developed in Middle English from "loft", a word for the upper part of a building or room, and so "lofty" first described things that were high up or raised above the ground. Its sense of height was extended to the metaphorical height of rank, character and ambition, and "loftiness" carries that same pairing of literal and figurative elevation. Where the adjective can describe a tower, a mountain or a noble mind, the noun names the quality of being high in any of those senses.

Synonyms: elevatedness, grandeur, nobility, height, distinction

Antonyms: humbleness, meanness, vulgarity, lowliness, insignificance