holiness

The story

1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hailagnassī
2. Old English · inherited fromhāliġnes“holiness, a holy thing, rites”
3. Middle English · inherited fromholynesse
4. English todayholiness

From Middle English holynesse, holinesse, halinesse, from Old English hāliġnes (“holiness, a holy thing, rites”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailagnassī, equivalent to holy + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian hilligens (“holiness”), Old High German heilagnissi, heilīgnissi (“holiness”), whence Middle High German heilignis (“halidom”).