The quality or state of being difficult; the degree to which something is hard to accomplish or understand.
From 'difficult' (Latin 'difficilis,' from 'dis-' meaning not and 'facilis' meaning easy) plus '-ness,' which creates an abstract noun for qualities. This follows English word-building patterns.
Medieval scholars debated the 'difficultness' of theological questions—this noun emphasizes how the very essence of a problem makes it inherently hard, not just circumstantially challenging.
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