Pertinaciousness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The trait of exhibiting an unshakeable resolve and relentless determination to maintain one's beliefs or actions in the face of adversity
2. A characteristic marked by a steadfast and often obsessive commitment to certain ideas or objectives regardless of opposition
3. The quality of being firmly dedicated and unwavering in one's convictions or goals despite challenges

Etymology: "Pertinaciousness" is a straightforward formation: the adjective "pertinacious" with the suffix "-ness" added to turn a quality into a noun. The adjective itself comes from the Latin "pertinax," meaning persistent or holding firmly to a course, built from "per," meaning through or thoroughly, and "tenax," meaning tenacious or holding fast, from "tenere," to hold. The image is of something gripping tightly all the way through, which is why the word now describes people who refuse to let go of a belief or goal. The suffix does the grammatical work here. "-ness" descends from Old English "-nes," a native English ending that attaches to adjectives to form nouns of quality, so "kindness," "darkness" and "pertinaciousness" all follow the same pattern. English has long been willing to stick this suffix onto borrowed Latinate adjectives, which is how a word of Roman origin ends up with an Anglo-Saxon ending.

Synonyms: determination, persistence, tenacity

Antonyms: indecision, wavering