shiftiness

shiftiness

English

Etymology

Etymology tree
English shift
English -y
English shifty
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 shiftiness

    From shifty + -ness.

    Noun

    shiftiness (countable and uncountable, plural shiftinesses)

    1. (uncountable) The property of being shifty.
      • 1973, Socialist Review, volume 8, page 331:
        Mr. Henderson's chief trouble seems to be that he cannot forget his old shiftiness of views and his pendulum-like swingings between Liberalism and Independent Labourism […]
    2. (countable, rare) The result or product of being shifty.
      • 1918, Allan Noble Monkhouse, Men and Ghosts, page 73:
        I had the grace or humility sometimes to see myself as a mass of shiftinesses; a few dogmas might help to steady me.

    Translations

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