'slowness' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'slæw,' where 'slæw' meant 'inactive or sluggish.'

'slæw' transformed into the Middle English word 'slow,' and eventually became the modern English word 'slow' with the noun form 'slowness.'

Initially, it meant 'inactive or sluggish,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'the quality of being slow.'