'notchedness' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'notch' with the adjectival suffix '-ed' and the nominalizing suffix '-ness'.

'notch' changed from Middle English 'noche' (also spelled 'notche'), borrowed from Old French 'noche' meaning 'nick, notch', and later became the Modern English 'notch'; 'notchedness' arose in Modern English by affixation of '-ed' + '-ness'.

Initially, 'notch' meant 'a nick or incision'; that basic sense has been largely retained, so 'notchedness' denotes the state of having such nicks or indentations.