thingness
|thing-ness|
/ˈθɪŋnəs/
the quality of being a thing
Etymology
'thingness' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'þing', where 'þing' meant 'assembly, matter, or thing', combined with the suffix '-ness' from Old English 'nes(s)a' meaning 'state or quality'.
'thingness' changed from the Old English form 'þingnes(s)' into Middle English 'thingnesse' and eventually became the modern English word 'thingness'.
Initially, 'þing' referred broadly to a defined matter, assembly, or legal matter; over time the compound came to denote the abstract quality or state of being a thing (the modern sense of 'thingness').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being a thing; the condition or fact of existing as a distinct thing.
Philosophers discussed the thingness of everyday objects.
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Noun 2
the concrete or particular characteristics that make something a distinct object; the sense of an object's 'essence' or objecthood.
The curator emphasized the thingness of the artifact rather than its historical context.
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Last updated: 2025/11/28 05:00