Revised 2007
pronenessnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun proneness mean?
There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun proneness, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the noun proneness?
About 0.4occurrences per million words in modern written English
1750 | 0.7 |
1760 | 0.76 |
1770 | 0.75 |
1780 | 0.81 |
1790 | 0.85 |
1800 | 0.92 |
1810 | 0.99 |
1820 | 1.1 |
1830 | 1.1 |
1840 | 1.1 |
1850 | 1.0 |
1860 | 0.89 |
1870 | 0.73 |
1880 | 0.59 |
1890 | 0.48 |
1900 | 0.39 |
1910 | 0.34 |
1920 | 0.33 |
1930 | 0.36 |
1940 | 0.4 |
1950 | 0.47 |
1960 | 0.49 |
1970 | 0.48 |
1980 | 0.43 |
1990 | 0.39 |
2000 | 0.33 |
2010 | 0.31 |
How is the noun proneness pronounced?
British English
/ˈprəʊnnəs/
PROHN-nuhss
U.S. English
/ˈproʊ(n)nəs/
PROHN-nuhss
Where does the noun proneness come from?
Earliest known use
mid 1500s
The earliest known use of the noun proneness is in the mid 1500s.
OED's earliest evidence for proneness is from 1548, in the writing of Thomas Cooper, theologian and bishop of Winchester.
proneness is formed within English, by derivation.
Etymons: prone adj., ‑ness suffix.
Nearby entries
- pronation, n.1657–
- pronatoflexor, adj.1872–
- pronator, n.1615–
- prone, n.a1670–
- prone, adj.1408–
- prone, v.¹1683
- prone, v.²1971–
- prone couch, n.1851–
- pronely, adv.?1532–
- prone-minded, adj.1869
- proneness, n.1548–
- pronephew, n.a1500–1663
- pronephric, adj.1877–
- pronephridian, adj.1881
- pronephros, n.1877–
- pronepot, n.c1540–1729
- pronept, n.1543–45
- pronethalol, n.1963–
- proneur, n.1809–
- proneural, adj. & n.1952–
- pronewise, adv.1585
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for proneness, n.
proneness, n. was revised in June 2007.
proneness, n. was last modified in March 2024.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into proneness, n. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1908)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Factsheet for proneness, n.
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Nearby entries
- pronation, n.1657–
- pronatoflexor, adj.1872–
- pronator, n.1615–
- prone, n.a1670–
- prone, adj.1408–
- prone, v.¹1683
- prone, v.²1971–
- prone couch, n.1851–
- pronely, adv.?1532–
- prone-minded, adj.1869
- proneness, n.1548–
- pronephew, n.a1500–1663
- pronephric, adj.1877–
- pronephridian, adj.1881
- pronephros, n.1877–
- pronepot, n.c1540–1729
- pronept, n.1543–45
- pronethalol, n.1963–
- proneur, n.1809–
- proneural, adj. & n.1952–
- pronewise, adv.1585