spininess

1 8.6

A state of being covered with many sharp thorns

noun
/ˈspɪnɪnəs/

: espinosidad

The spininess of the cactus makes it a deterrent for any would-be intruders.

Examples

Be careful when handling that plant; its spininess can cause painful scratches.
The spininess of the sea urchin protects it from predators in its natural habitat.
Some species, for example, can be told apart by the size, shape, and degree of spininess of the male's penis.

Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

prickliness

vsspininess

1 6.7

Being covered in many small sharp points, like a cactus or rose bush

is about the actual presence of many sharp projections rather than only sensation

thorniness

vsspininess

7.6

Covered with sharp thorns that can scratch the skin

is less sharply piercing and suggests milder small sharp points

Antonyms

smoothness

4 2.6

How something works without pauses or problems

How Spiny

spininess

1 8.6

prickliness

1 6.7

Surface Forms

spininess singular

spininesses plural

Morphology

spininess = spiny (transparent) = spine + y + ness

Formed from the adjective 'spiny' with the regular noun-forming suffix '-ness', and 'spiny' itself is transparently derived from 'spine' + '-y'.

Etymology

Spininess comes from spine, which comes from the Latin spina meaning 'thorn' or 'spike'. So spininess is the quality of having many sharp 'thorns' or 'spikes', like a hedgehog or a cactus that use them for protection.