Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The character of being rethe; fierceness; roughness; harshness; sternness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The character, state, or condition of being rethe; fierceness; wildness; roughness; harshness; sternness; cruelty.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English rethnes, from Old English rēþnes ("fierceness, rage, cruelty, severity, zeal, savageness, ferocity, harshness, storminess"), equivalent to rethe +‎ -ness. Cognate with Scots rethnas ("retheness").

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