greenness

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English grennesse, from Old English grennes; equivalent to green +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

greenness (usually uncountable, plural greennesses)

  1. The state or quality of being green; green colour. [from 8th c.]
    • 1950, Mervyn Peake, Gormenghast:
      Her crimson dress inflames grey corridors, or flaring in a sunshaft through high branches makes of the deep green shadows a greenness darker yet, and a darkness greener.
  2. (now rare) Vitality, freshness. [from 9th c.]
  3. Inexperience. [from 16th c.]
    • 1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 152:
      The chances were that, sooner or later, such greenness would inevitably lead to a graver disaster.
  4. The fact of being environmentally or ecologically conscious; commitment to environmental conservation. [from 1980s]

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