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firmness

UK/ˈfɜːmnəs/US/ˈfɝmnəs/
nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,475 of 15,258neutral

Firmness is steadiness that will not be shifted. Firmness of purpose, treat them with firmness, the firmness of the ground.

Of a person it means holding a position without anger, which is why it is praised in negotiation and in parenting alike. Of a material it is the plain physical sense.

Definitions of firmness

  1. 1nounfirmnessSteadiness that will not be shifted.B2+

    “She spoke with quiet firmness, and the children knew she would not change her mind.”

firmness is a quality.

Where it comes from

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *dʰer-

  2. Italian

    firma — signature

  3. English

    firm

  4. English, today

    firmness

Built from

  • firmare · Italian — to sign
  • firmus · Latin — firm, stable

From firm + -ness. firm Borrowed from Italian firma (“signature”). From Italian firma (“signature”), from firmare (“to sign”), from Latin firmāre (“to make firm, to confirm (by signature)”), from firmus (“firm, stable”). The contemporary sense developed in the 18th century simultaneously with German Firma (“business, name of business”). There are conflicting statements in the literature as to which of the two languages influenced which. a doublet of dharma and dhamma. Other cognates include Russian держать (“to hold”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

firmness in the wild

  • Tacitus and Strabo cite her capture as evidence of both the firmness and restraint of Roman arms.

    Thusnelda

  • Sugar regulates the gelling of fruit jellies and preserves and is essential to obtain the desired consistency and firmness.

    Gelling sugar

  • Pad stitches secure two or more layers of fabric together and give the layers more firmness; smaller and denser stitches create more firmness.

    Pad stitch

  • The apple has a high juice content and will maintain its firmness while in storage.

    Envy (apple)

  • Rollers come in different sizes and various degrees of firmness.

    Foam roller

1 / 2

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

From Project Gutenberg, public domain. These sentences are from real books, shown to illustrate the word at work.

Related words

the firma family

firm

firmness — used about once every 13,896 pages · #12,475 · point at the bar for the others

  • affirm
  • firmly
  • reaffirm