quaintness

Q10U1A1I1N1T1N1E1S1S1
UK/ˈkweɪntnəs/

noun

Cunning; craftiness.

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Meanings

nounquaintness (countable and uncountable, plural quaintnesses)

plural quaintnesses

  1. countableobsoleteuncountableCunning; craftiness.
  2. countableobsoleteuncountableSkill, artfulness.
  3. countableobsoleteuncountablePrimness, fastidiousness, preciousness.

    As for good Terence, I allow the quaintnesse [translating mignardise] and grace of his Latine tongue, and judge him wonderfull conceited and apt[…].

    1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 10, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
  4. countableuncountableThe state or fact of being quaint; having old-fashioned charm.

Origin

From quaint + -ness.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

quaintness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quaintness

MLA

“quaintness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quaintness. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quaintness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quaintness.

Source: quaintness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.