Quaintness

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkweɪntnəs/

Definitions

1. The distinctive charm of something being attractively unusual or old-fashioned is encapsulated in the term that denotes a unique and charming quality
2. A quality that evokes an appealing sense of uniqueness and old-fashioned charm is embodied in this particular word
3. A unique and charming characteristic that suggests a pleasing vintage or unusual style is represented by this term

Etymology: "Quaintness" is a plain formation: the adjective "quaint" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends from Old English "-nes," which in turn traces back through Proto-Germanic to a very old Indo-European stem, and it appeared in Middle English as "-nesse" before settling into the form used today. The more interesting story lies in "quaint." That adjective was once a term of mild disapproval, meaning clever, skilful, or artful, and sometimes strange or odd, rather than charming. Its meaning softened over the centuries into the sense of pleasingly old-fashioned or picturesque that we now associate with cottages and village streets. So "quaintness" carries a history of approval slowly tinged with suspicion, until it came to describe the kind of appeal we find in things that seem a little behind the times.

Synonyms: charm, whimsy, eccentricity, curiosity, old-fashionedness

Antonyms: modernity, ordinariness, commonness, banality, uniformity