Outwardnesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being directed towards the outside or the external aspect of something
2. an expression of characteristics that emphasize external appearance or behavior
3. the state or condition of exhibiting extroverted traits and focusing on outward interactions and relationships with the world

Etymology: "Outwardnesses" is the plural of "outwardness," which is formed by adding the suffix "-ness" to "outward." The "-ness" ending has an old and productive pedigree: it descends from Old English "-nes," which turned abstract qualities into nouns, so that a word like "good" could become "goodness." Its Germanic ancestry runs back to a shared Proto-Germanic form, and English has used it to make countless state-or-condition nouns from adjectives. "Outward" itself is built from "out," which traces to Old English "ūt" and ultimately to a very old root for "out," plus "-ward," a suffix meaning "in the direction of." Together they describe something turned or tending away from the inside, toward the exterior. Put "-ness" on the end and "outward" moves from a description of direction into a quality a person or thing might possess.