Trewenesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Archaic term for the quality of being true, loyal, or faithful to a person, promise, or principle
2. An obsolete word meaning genuineness, fidelity, or steadfast loyalty in one's word and conduct
3. Old English-era noun for the condition of being truthful and constant, as opposed to deceitful or false

Etymology: In Middle English, "trewenesse" meant the quality of being true, faithful, or sincere, the same idea that "trueness" or "faithfulness" expresses now. It was built from "trewe," the Middle English form of "true," and the suffix "-nesse," which turned an adjective into a noun of quality, just as "-ness" does in modern "kindness" or "darkness." The suffix was used so freely in Middle English that new abstract nouns could be formed almost on demand. The base "trewe" descends from Old English "trēowe," meaning faithful or loyal, which belongs to a Germanic family that also gave English "troth," an old word for a pledge of loyalty, and "trust." So the earliest sense of the root was closer to "steadfast" or "reliable" than to the modern sense of "accurate." The spelling "trewenesse" is a Middle English one; it is now obsolete, replaced by "trueness" and "truthfulness."