Pristineness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of being exceptionally clean and untainted by any form of pollution or damage
2. The condition of remaining in an untouched and perfect state, free from any deterioration or corruption
3. A quality describing something completely pure and flawless, free of any marks or changes from its original form

Etymology: Pristine has a surprisingly literal past. It comes from Latin "pristinus", meaning "former" or "of earlier times," and in English it first meant "original" or "former" in the sense of a state that had been left behind. Only later did it come to mean "unspoiled," as in something still in the condition it was in before anything had touched it. The suffix "-ness" is an ordinary Old English device for turning an adjective into a noun of quality, as in "kindness" or "darkness." Attaching it to "pristine" produced "pristineness," a noun describing the state of being pristine. The formation is straightforward, so the interest lies in the base word rather than the suffix. The word's core idea is therefore a return to an earlier state. Something pristine is one that remains as it was before time, use, or damage altered it, which is why the noun now describes a condition of untouched cleanliness.

Synonyms: purity, freshness, immaculateness

Antonyms: pollution, contamination, impurity