The quality or state of being deft; skill and quickness combined with smoothness and grace.
From 'deft' plus the suffix '-ness,' which comes from Old English and creates abstract nouns expressing qualities or states. The suffix '-ness' is one of the oldest and most productive noun-forming tools in English.
The '-ness' suffix is so old and common that we forget it's there, but it's the reason we can talk about abstract qualities—without it, we could describe actions but not the essential nature of being skillful.
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