English
strongness
Strongness comes from Old English strangnes ‘strength’, from strang ‘strong’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ster- ‘stiff, rigid’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ster-1‘stiff, rigid’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-1‘pulled tight, straight, constricted’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strangaz2‘tight, strict, straight’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strang3‘severe, strict, rigorous’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150strang4‘strong’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150strangnes5‘strength’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500strongnes5
- Englishtodaystrongness5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strangaz
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strang
- 3 Wiktionary, Old English strang
- 4 Wiktionary, Old English strangnes
- 5 Wiktionary, English strongness
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ster-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strangaz‘stiff, rigid’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strengʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *strangaz‘pulled tight, straight, constricted’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*strangazWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *strang‘tight, strict, straight’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*strangWiktionary, Old English strang‘severe, strict, rigorous’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150strangWiktionary, Old English strangnes‘strong’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150strangnesWiktionary, English strongness‘strength’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500strongnesWiktionary, English strongness
- EnglishtodaystrongnessWiktionary, English strongness
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ster- ‘stiff, rigid’
still, start, street, stare, stern, straw, stereo, torpedo, starve, cholesterol, throttle, sterile, strenuous, sterility, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- ‘pulled tight, straight, constricted’
district, stress, strict, string, strain, prestige, strait, 45 more
through Proto-Germanic *strangaz ‘tight, strict, straight’
through Proto-West Germanic *strang ‘severe, strict, rigorous’
through Old English strang ‘strong’
Today it means
noun The state or condition of being strong; strength.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “strongness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *strangaz, Proto-West Germanic *strang, Old English strang, Old English strangnes. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ster- / strongness