selectnessn.
/sᵻˈlɛk(t)nəs/, U.S. /səˈlɛk(t)nəs/ The quality of being select.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [noun] > quality of being choice
virtuec1330
choiceness1605
selectness1727
1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Selectness, Chosenness, Choiceness.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Selectness, the state of being select.
1816 Jeffrey Swift in Wks. (1853) 77/1 Goldsmith..had the harmony of Pope without his quaintness, and his selectness of diction without his coldness and eternal vivacity.
1893 R. S. Surtees Soapey Sponge's Sporting Tour (rev. ed.) xxix. 158 The Flat Hat Hunt had relapsed into its wonted quiet, or ‘selectness’, as its members called it, and Beggar-my-Neighbour Hill saw none but the regular attendants.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1727