earnesty

English

Etymology

Attested since at least the 1500s,[1] from earnest +‎ -y. Modern uses may be modelled on honest→honesty.

Noun

earnesty (uncountable)

  1. (nonstandard) Earnestness.

Usage notes
  • Now generally supposed to be an error by non-native speakers.
  • Many occurrences are typos of the adverb earnestly.

References
  1. Bryan A[ndrew] Garner (2016) “*earnesty”, in Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 314, column 2: “This word, as a synonym of earnestness, is listed in the OED with only two citations—from 1572 and 1591. One might have thought it to be long obsolete, but it still sometimes appears.”

Anagrams
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