snobbishness

the word 'snobbishness' is built upon the core term 'snob', whose origins are obscure but emerged in late 18th-century english slang, initially denoting a person of lower social status. by the mid-19th century, its meaning inverted to describe someone who vulgarly admires social superiors and looks down on those they consider inferior. the adjective-forming suffix '-ish' was attached to create 'snobbish', meaning "characteristic of a snob." finally, the old english abstract noun-forming suffix '-ness', descended from proto-germanic -inassu, was added to form 'snobbishness', concretizing the abstract state or quality of possessing snobbish attitudes.

Structure: snobbish + ness snobbish (origin: english, from 'snob' + '-ish'; functional role: adjective-forming suffix meaning "having the qualities of"). ness (origin: old english '-nes(s)'; functional role: noun-forming suffix indicating a state or quality).