Highness

How to spell highness

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce highness

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does highness mean?

1. nounA title of respect used for a sovereign, prince, or princess.

Highness in a sentence

• The visiting prince was addressed as his royal highness throughout the tour.

• The ambassador bowed and welcomed her highness to the embassy.

Where does highness come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is a thoroughly native English formation, built from the adjective 'high' and the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. The root 'high' descends from the Old English 'heah', meaning 'lofty' or 'tall', a word shared across the Germanic languages and related to Dutch 'hoog' and German 'hoch'. The suffix '-ness', also Old English, turns an adjective into a noun naming a state or quality, so 'highness' first simply meant the literal condition of being high or elevated. From the late Middle Ages the elevated sense was applied figuratively to rank and dignity, and 'Highness' settled into use as a respectful title for sovereigns and members of royal families, much as 'loftiness' of status. Because both halves are ordinary English elements, the spelling is regular; the only thing to watch is the doubled letters where 'high' meets '-ness', leaving a single 'h' before the 'ness'.

How the word is built

• high (lofty, exalted; from Old English heah)
• -ness (noun suffix: state or quality)