The quality or state of being very serious, severe, or causing significant harm or sorrow.
From 'grievous' plus the suffix '-ness,' which creates abstract nouns and comes from Old English 'næss' or 'nis.' The suffix has been used since Old English times to derive nouns from adjectives expressing qualities or conditions.
The suffix '-ness' is so common in English that we barely notice it, but it's incredibly powerful—it lets us turn any descriptor into a concept, which is why English can so easily talk about abstract qualities like 'happiness,' 'darkness,' or 'grievousness.'
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