aloofness

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English aloof Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English aloofness From aloof + -ness.

1. The state of being aloof.

   “She wouldn't lose him without a struggle: his aloofness and indifference set a challenge which she could not resist.”

   “Where was he now? Nick was still in the alien high reach of the road, with the canal and the council estates, and longing for the other end, his own end, the safety and aloofness of white stucco and private gardens.”