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Entries linking to smoothness
smooth (adj.)Old English smoð "smooth, serene, calm," variant of smeðe "free from roughness, not harsh, polished; soft; suave; agreeable," of unknown origin and with no known cognates. Of words, looks, "pleasant, polite, sincere" late 14c., but later "flattering, insinuating" (mid-15c.). Slang meaning "superior, classy, clever" is attested from 1893. Sense of "stylish" is from 1922.
Smooth-bore in reference to guns is from 1812. smooth talk (v.) is recorded from 1950. A 1599 dictionary has smoothboots "a flatterer, a faire spoken man, a cunning tongued fellow." The usual Old English form was smeðe, and there is a dialectal smeeth found in places names, such as Smithfield, Smedley.
Smooth-bore in reference to guns is from 1812. smooth talk (v.) is recorded from 1950. A 1599 dictionary has smoothboots "a flatterer, a faire spoken man, a cunning tongued fellow." The usual Old English form was smeðe, and there is a dialectal smeeth found in places names, such as Smithfield, Smedley.
-ness
word-forming element denoting action, quality, or state, attached to an adjective or past participle to form an abstract noun, from Old English -nes(s), from Proto-Germanic *in-assu- (cognates: Old Saxon -nissi, Middle Dutch -nisse, Dutch -nis, Old High German -nissa, German -nis, Gothic -inassus), from *-in-, originally belonging to the noun stem, + *-assu-, abstract noun suffix, probably from the same root as Latin -tudo (see -tude).
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Definitions of smoothness
smoothness (n.)
a texture without roughness; smooth to the touch;
admiring the slim smoothness of her thighs
some artists prefer the smoothness of a board
smoothness (n.)
powerful and effective language;
his oily smoothness concealed his guilt from the police
smoothness (n.)
the quality of being bland and gracious or ingratiating in manner;
smoothness (n.)
the quality of having a level and even surface;
the water was a glassy smoothness
the weather system of the Pacific is determined by the uninterrupted smoothness of the ocean
smoothness (n.)
the quality of being free from errors or interruptions;
the five-speed manual gearbox is smoothness personified
