Thikkenesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of being dense, viscous or closely packed in substance ; the measured distance through an object from one face to the opposite face
2. Denseness or heaviness of consistency in a material ; the span across an object between its two opposing sides
3. The degree to which a substance is compact or viscous ; the measurement between the two faces of a solid body or layer

Etymology: Middle English "thikkenesse" is a word that most modern readers would recognise at once as "thickness," just spelled in the older way. It is built from the adjective "thick," which comes from Old English "þicce," plus the suffix "-nesse," an Old English noun-forming ending meaning "state or quality of." Put together, the word simply names the quality of being thick. The Middle English spelling reflects the period before standardised English spelling. The "th" was written as a thorn or as "th," and the "-nesse" ending was common in medieval texts, with the final "-e" often marking the older form of the noun. The modern "thickness" evolved as the ending shortened and the spelling settled in the early modern period.