'awayness' originates from English, specifically formed from the adverb 'away' and the noun-forming suffix '-ness,' where 'away' meant 'away, on the way' and '-ness' marked a state or quality.

'away' comes from Old English forms such as 'on weg' / 'aweg' and Middle English 'awei'/'away'; the productive suffix '-ness' descends from Old English '-nes(s)e', and the modern compound 'awayness' is a relatively recent formation by combining these elements in Modern English.

Initially, the elements expressed simple movement or distance ('away' = 'on the way' or 'from here') and a grammatical marker for state ('-ness'); combined as 'awayness' the meaning has remained close to 'the state of being away,' with some extension to emotional or psychological detachment in modern use.