-Ness
The word ending (or the suffix ) -heit has developed in connection with adjective stems in the Old High German period to the most popular way to form so-called abstractions ( property nominalization ). Even then the suffix -ung was in competition with -heit , but it was preferably attached to verbal stems ( event nominalization ).
The ending -heit comes from the Germanic word * haidu- (way appearance) from that in the Old High German to heid / uniform was, and in the 8th and 9th centuries as a translation for the Latin words persona and sexus could serve. In Middle High German , heath / heit is rarely used as an independent word and is reduced to the meaning of “manner”, “quality”. As a suffix it appeared very early next to -î and -ida , which it soon replaced.
See also
Web links
- -heit - Duden , Bibliographical Institute ; 2016
- The noun derivation with -heit / -keit, -ida, -î in early New High German, p. 36 [1]