captiousness

captiousness

English

Etymology

Etymology tree
English captious
Proto-Germanic *-in-
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti
Proto-Germanic *-ōną
Proto-Germanic *-inōną
Proto-Indo-European *-dyé-
Proto-Germanic *-atjaną
Proto-Indo-European *-tus
Proto-Germanic *-þuz
Proto-Germanic *-assuz
Proto-Germanic *-inassuz
Proto-West Germanic *-nassī
Old English -nes
Middle English -nesse
English -ness
English captiousness

    From captious + -ness.

    Noun

    captiousness (usually uncountable, plural captiousnesses)

    1. The state of being captious.
      • 1867, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, chapter V, in The Gambler, translated by C. J. Hogarth‎[1]:
        "Yes— and I suppose you want to know why," she replied with dry captiousness.
    2. Captious behaviour.

    Quotations

    • 1819, Timothy Dwight, Theology: Explained and Defended in a Series of Sermons:
      In this manner, they degrade religion into a spirit of captiousness.
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