looseness
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L323410 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈluːsnəs/
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Old Norse laussbor. Middle English loos English loose 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 looseness From loose + -ness.
- The quality or fact of being free from rigidity, attachment or restraint; not tight, not firmly attached or taut.
“See if that nut has too much looseness and tighten it if it does.”
- A relaxed state regarding principles or accuracy.
- Moral laxity; licentiousness.
“Yet goodly court he made still to his Dame, / Pourd out in loosnesse on the grassy grownd [...].”