Banefulness

/ˈbeɪnfəlnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality or state of being baneful; the degree to which something is harmful or destructive.

Etymology

From baneful (harmful or poisonous) + -ness suffix, forming an abstract noun. Traces back through baneful to Old English bana meaning 'destroyer.'

Kelly Says

Philosophers in the 18th century used 'banefulness' to describe the moral corruption of society—it's a word that sounds heavy because it was coined to carry intellectual weight about abstract harms.

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