The state or quality of being without defense, protection, or the ability to resist or fight back.
From defenceless (British spelling: defence + -less 'without') + -ness (suffix forming nouns expressing state). All parts trace back to Old English and Latin 'defendere.'
The layering of suffixes here is fascinating—'-less' removes something, then '-ness' turns that removal into a quality you can describe, showing how English builds complex ideas from simple pieces like building blocks.
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