-laiksuffix

Appended in Middle English to adjectives to form nouns of quality, none of which have survived into modern English. Etymologically it represents the Old Norse -leik-r strong masculine which (with a parallel form -leike weak masculine) is the ordinary suffix in Old Norse corresponding functionally to the English -ness; its use in English must have originated in words adopted from Scandinavian, as godleȝȝc (Orm.) from Old Norse góðleikr; but already in the Ormulum (c1200) it is added freely to native English adjectives, as in clænleȝȝc cleanness, grediȝleȝȝc greediness. Ormin has in all 28 words of this formation; in some instances he originally wrote -nesse, but -leȝȝc has been substituted ‘in a ruder but apparently contemporary hand’ (editorial note in Orm. II. 349); the reason was perhaps metrical, as -leȝȝc and -nesse were in Ormin's prosody equivalent only before a vowel. Except in the Ormulum the suffix is somewhat rare, and no instance is known of its being appended to an adjective of Romanic origin. The Old Norse -leik-r corresponds in form with the Old English suffix -lác (usually neuter, rarely masculine), now -lock suffix (see for the etymology); but in function the two are distinct, the Old Norse suffix being appended only to adjectives, and the Old English suffix only to nouns or verb-stems to form nouns expressive of action. Occasionally the suffix representing Old English -lác was in northern or north midland texts written -laik, so that it became coincident in form with the Scandinavian suffix, e.g. in dwimerlaik (Alex.), wedlaik (R. Brunne).