Added 9 October 2026
stiffness
noun
In Latin: rigor Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about stiffness at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Rigidity or a measure of rigidity.
- Inflexibility or a measure of inflexibility.
-
Inelegance; a lack of relaxedness.
His stiffness hampered the conversation.
Origin
From Middle English stiffenes, styffenesse, styfnesse; equivalent to stiff + -ness. Perhaps merging with Middle English stithnesse, stithnysse, from Old English stīþness (“stiffness”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)