Professionalness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of exhibiting expertise, competence, and ethical standards in a particular vocation or occupation is essential for success
2. A notable level of skill, knowledge, and integrity in one's professional activities defines this quality
3. The quality of demonstrating high skill, knowledge, and ethical behavior in a job or career is crucial for achieving excellence

Etymology: "Professionalness" is a plain formation: the adjective "professional" with the suffix "-ness," which attaches to adjectives to name the quality they describe, much as "kindness" comes from "kind." The adjective itself traces back through Old French to the Latin "professus," the past participle of "profiteri," meaning to declare publicly or profess, which is also the root of "profess" and "profession." The idea underlying the word is therefore a public declaration of one's craft or vocation, and the adjective came to describe someone who earns a living from a skill rather than an amateur pursuing it for pleasure. The noun is simply the quality of being professional, so its meaning follows directly from that adjective. Because "-ness" is a productive suffix, it can be attached to nearly any adjective in English, which is why "professionalness" is a transparent coinage rather than a word with a separate history of its own.

Synonyms: expertise, competence, proficiency

Antonyms: incompetence, amateurism