Edibleness

/ˈɛdɪbəlnəs/ noun

Definition

the quality of being edible; fitness for eating (a less common variant of 'edibility').

Etymology

From 'edible' plus '-ness' (Old English suffix for abstract nouns), an alternative formation to 'edibility' that uses the more Germanic '-ness' rather than the Latinate '-ity'.

Kelly Says

English gives us two ways to express the same idea: 'edibility' (Latinate and scientific-sounding) vs. 'edibleness' (Germanic and more natural-sounding)—we usually pick 'edibility' because it sounds more official!

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