Stinkingness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The degree or intensity to which something emits an offensive or foul odor
2. The characteristic of smelling unpleasantly bad or producing a disagreeable scent
3. The state of being remarkably foul-smelling or having a repugnant stench

Etymology: "Stinkingness" is a plain compound: the adjective "stinking" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun meaning the quality or state of being that adjective. So it names the quality of being stinking, much as "kindness" names the quality of being kind. "Stinking" itself comes from the Old English "stincan," meaning to emit a smell, and the suffix "-ness" is native English as well, descending from Old English "-nes(s)." The pairing is therefore entirely Germanic, with no Latin or French layer involved.

Synonyms: stench, malodor, fetor