nonclassicalness
|non-class-ic-al-ness|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑnˈklæsɪkəlnəs/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒnˈklæsɪkəlnəs/
state of not classical
Etymology
'nonclassicalness' originates from English, specifically the word 'nonclassical' + suffix '-ness', where 'non-' meant 'not', 'classical' derives from Latin 'classicus' (via French/Middle English) meaning 'of a class' or 'classical', and '-ness' is a noun-forming suffix meaning 'state or quality'.
'nonclassicalness' developed by appending the modern English abstract noun suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'nonclassical' (itself formed from the prefix 'non-' + 'classical'). The adjective 'classical' entered English via Middle French/'classique' and Latin 'classicus', and the negative prefix 'non-' has long been used in English to negate adjectives.
Initially, 'classical' related to 'belonging to a class' or to the classical traditions; over time 'nonclassicalness' came to denote the absence of classical properties and, in scientific contexts, specifically those phenomena that classical theories cannot explain.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being not classical; lack of classical characteristics.
The nonclassicalness of the artwork was discussed by critics who noted its deliberate break with traditional forms.
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Noun 2
in physics and related fields, the presence of behaviors or properties that cannot be explained by classical physics (for example, quantum correlations, entanglement, squeezing).
The experiment measured the nonclassicalness of the light field as evidence of quantum entanglement.
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Last updated: 2025/10/21 01:59