Readiness is the state of being prepared. Combat readiness, in readiness for, a readiness to help.
It has two shades: prepared for something, and willing to do something — a readiness to help is willingness. In the military, readiness is a measured state with levels and inspections. The readiness is all is Hamlet. Note ready; and that the Old English word meant prepared for riding.
1nounreadinessThe state of being prepared.
“The climbers checked their ropes and boots in readiness for the next morning.”
2nounwillingnessWillingness to do something.
“The manager praised his readiness to work late whenever a deadline was close.”
readiness is a state of preparation.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂er-
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂reh₁dʰ-
Proto-Germanic
*garaidijaz
Old English
rǣde
Middle English
redy
English
ready
English, today
readiness
Built from
From ready + -ness. ready comes from Middle English redy, redi, rædiȝ, iredi, ȝerædi, alteration (y) of earlier ired, irede, ȝerad (“ready, prepared”), from Old English rǣde, ġerǣde (also ġerȳde) "prepared, prompt, ready, ready for riding (horse), mounted (on a horse), skilled, simple, easy", from Proto-Germanic garaidijaz, raidijaz, from base raidaz (“ready”), from Proto-Indo-European h₂reh₁dʰ-, h₂reh₁- (“to count, put in order, arrange, make comfortable”) and also probably conflated with Proto-Indo-European reydʰ- (“to ride”) in the sense of "set to ride, able or fit to go, ready". Cognate with Scots readie, reddy (“ready, prepared”), West Frisian ree (“ready”), Dutch gereed (“ready”), German bereit (“ready”), Danish rede (“ready”), Swedish redo (“ready, fit, prepared”), Norwegian reiug (“ready, prepared”), Icelandic greiður (“easy, light”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (“arranged, ordered”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA