Lichkeit

Lichkeit is a suffix in German grammar used to form abstract nouns from adjectives, signaling a quality, state, or characteristic. The productive form -lichkeit comes from combining the adjective-forming suffix -lich with the noun-forming suffix -keit, and it is especially common for adjectives ending in -lich. For example, ehrlich becomes Ehrlichkeit (honesty), freundlich becomes Freundlichkeit (friendliness), and menschlich becomes Menschlichkeit (humanness).

Other frequent examples include Wirklichkeit (reality), Höflichkeit (politeness), and Freundlichkeit (friendliness). The resulting nouns typically denote a general property or condition rather than a specific action; they function as standalone nouns within sentences.

Usage and grammar notes: Nouns formed with -lichkeit are feminine, taking the standard feminine articles and determiner patterns (die Ehrlichkeit, die Menschlichkeit, die Wirklichkeit). They appear across formal, philosophical, and academic registers, but can also occur in everyday speech when a precise abstract notion is intended. The -lichkeit form often coexists with related suffixes such as -heit or -keit, and the choice among them depends on the base adjective and historical development.

Historical and cross-linguistic context: The -lichkeit suffix dates to the history of the German language and is cognate with similar constructions in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch -lijkheid. It is one of several productive noun-formation suffixes in German used to convert adjectives into abstract nouns.

See also: German suffix -heit, German suffix -keit, German noun formation, German grammar.