-ность

Russian

Etymology

Probably originated from the suffix -ость (-ostʹ) added to words ending in -ный (-nyj), and was then extracted by rebracketing as a productive suffix. The same thing happened with e.g. -те́льный (-télʹnyj) and English -ness.

Suffix

-ность • (-nostʹ)

  1. Suffix forming nouns denoting the quality of the action designated by the verbs from which the nouns are formed.
    погреши́ть (pogrešítʹ, “to err”) → погре́шность (pogréšnostʹ, “mistake, error, fault”)
    принадлежа́ть (prinadležátʹ, “to belong”) → принадле́жность (prinadléžnostʹ, “belonging, accessory”)
    провини́ться (provinítʹsja, “to commit an offence”) → прови́нность (provínnostʹ, “misconduct, offence”)
  2. Suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives. A less productive alternative to -ость (-ostʹ).
    гото́вый (gotóvyj, “ready”) → гото́вность (gotóvnostʹ, “readiness”) (no such word *гото́вный exists)
  3. Suffix forming nouns with the meaning of a group of things characterized by the quality designated by the adjectives from which the nouns are formed.
    живо́й (živój, “living”) → жи́вность (žívnostʹ, “small creatures collectively”)

Usage notes

Not all words in -ность (-nostʹ) contain this suffix. Most of them are formed from -ость (-ostʹ) added to adjectives in -ный (-nyj), e.g. вре́дность (vrédnostʹ, “harmfulness”) from вре́дный (vrédnyj, “harmful”).

Declension

Declension of -ность (inan fem-form 3rd-decl accent-a) 
singular plural
nominative -ность
-nostʹ		 -ности
-nosti
genitive -ности
-nosti		 -ностей
-nostej
dative -ности
-nosti		 -ностям
-nostjam
accusative -ность
-nostʹ		 -ности
-nosti
instrumental -ностью
-nostʹju		 -ностями
-nostjami
prepositional -ности
-nosti		 -ностях
-nostjax

Derived terms

► <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:Russian_words_suffixed_with_-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C'>Russian words suffixed with -ность</a>

References

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