Unclennesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being soiled, impure, or not clean in body or surroundings
2. Lack of purity in thought, conduct, or soul ; dirt or filth on a person or place
3. Corruption of the spirit or conscience ; absence of cleanliness in body or environment

Etymology: Nothing about this word is hidden: it is a transparent compound of three native English elements. The prefix "un-" means "not," and it has been part of English since Old English. "Clene" is the Middle English form of "clean," descended from Old English "clǣne," which meant clean in both the physical and the moral sense, so it could describe pure water or a pure heart. The ending "-nesse" is the Middle English spelling of the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for a state or quality. Put together, the word named the condition of being impure or defiled. It appears in Middle English writing, where its strongest use was in religious and moral contexts, though its exact range of use is not something I can document in detail. It fell out of use as "uncleanness" became the standard spelling, and the modern form has the same meaning and the same parts.