defnesse

Middle English

Alternative forms

• deefnesse, defenez, deffenesse, defnes, difenez

Etymology

PIE root
*dʰewbʰ-

From def (“deaf”) +‎ -nesse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛ̝ːfnɛs(ə)/

Noun

defnesse (uncountable) (uncommon, chiefly Late Middle English)

1. deafness (inability to hear)
2. (rare) deafness (refusal to hear)

Descendants

• English: deafness

References

• “dē̆fnes(se, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.