Savagenesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being fierce, brutal, or rude in behavior or temperament
2. The attribute of exhibiting extreme cruelty or wildness in actions or characteristics
3. The extent or degree of being untamed or uncivilized, often reflecting a lack of restraint or compassion

Etymology: "Savagenesses" is simply the plural of "savageness," a noun formed from the adjective "savage" plus the suffix "-ness," which English has attached to adjectives since Old English to turn a quality into a noun. The suffix itself descends from Old English "-nes," and it is one of the most productive ways English has ever made abstract nouns. "Savage" arrived in English from Old French "salvage," meaning wild or belonging to the woods, and it came ultimately from Latin "silvaticus," meaning of the forest. Over time the word lost its link to trees and came to describe people or animals that were uncivilized, and then cruel or fierce. The plural "savagenesses" therefore refers to several separate instances or kinds of that fierce wildness, rather than to a single quality.

Synonyms: ferocities, brutalities, fiercenesses, wildnesses, cruelties

Antonyms: gentleness, mildness, tameness, softness, humanity