Saintlinesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being highly virtuous and morally upright
2. the possession of an exceptional holiness or sanctity in behavior and thoughts
3. a condition characterized by exemplary moral conduct and devotion to goodness

Etymology: "Saintlinesses" is simply the plural of "saintliness," which means the quality of being saintly. The base word is "saintly," formed from "saint" plus the English adjective-forming suffix "-ly," so the whole chain is built from parts English already had. The noun-forming ending "-ness" is the more interesting piece. It descends from an Old English "-nes," which is related to the Germanic root that gave us a word meaning something like "state" or "condition." Attached to an adjective, it turns a quality into an abstract noun, so "saintliness" names the condition of being saintly, much as "kindness" names the condition of being kind. Because "saintliness" is a countable-looking abstract noun, its plural "saintlinesses" appears only when writers want to speak of several distinct instances or kinds of sainthood. The plural follows the ordinary English pattern for nouns ending in "-ss," adding "-es."

Synonyms: piety, holiness, virtue, righteousness, devoutness

Antonyms: wickedness, sinfulness, immorality, unholiness, vileness