Ness

//nɛs// name, noun

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa. Irish, countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A placename:; A suburban village in Neston parish, Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire, England (OS grid ref SJ3076). countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A placename:; The northernmost area on the Isle of Lewis, Western Isles council area, Scotland. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    A placename:; A short river in Highland council area, Scotland, which flows from Loch Ness through Inverness to the Beauly Firth; in full, River Ness. countable, uncountable
  5. 5
    A placename:; Ellipsis of Ness City. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A placename:; Ellipsis of Ness County. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
  2. 7
    A surname. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    A promontory; a cape or headland. (Frequently used as a suffix in placenames.)

    "Velvraz Sebarm stands upon the lake, among orange-trees and pomegranates and almonds and peaches of the south, a mile north-west over the water from Zayana town, and two miles by land: an old castle built of honey-coloured marble at the tip of a long sickle-shaped ness that sweeps round southwards, with wild gardens running down in the rocks to the water’s edge, and behind the castle a wood of holm-oaks making a wind-break against the north."

  2. 2
    a strip of land projecting into a body of water wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

Named after the River Ness, of Celtic/Pictish origin, from a Proto-Celtic word *Nesta describing great currents, according to MacBain, from the same Proto-Indo-European root that gave the river Νέστος (Néstos), possibly *ned- (“water”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English nesse (in placenames), from Old English næs, from Proto-Germanic *nasją (“promontory; ness”); cognate with Middle Low German nes, Icelandic nes, Swedish näs, Danish næs, Old Norse nes. Related to nose.

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: ness