[f. as prec. + -NESS.]

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  1.  Elegance, shapeliness, spruceness, trimness.

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1576.  Fleming, trans. Caius’ Dogs, in Arb., Garner, III. 248. Coarseness with fineness hath no friendship; but featness with neatness hath neighbourhood enough.

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c. 1615.  Lives Women Saints, 25. The featnesse … of the bodie … is the fouling … of the soule.

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1652.  Wharton, trans. Rothman’s Chiromancy, Wks. (1683), 532. The Lines and other Signatures, are … by their Featness more perspicuous.

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1699.  A. Boyer, Fr. & Eng. Dict., s.v. Featness … propreté.

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  † b.  Nicety. Obs.

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1577–87.  Holinshed, Chron., II. 12/2. The language carrieth such difficulty with it … for … the curious featnes of the pronunciation, that, etc.

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  † 2.  ‘Oddness, uncouthness’ (Bailey, folio, 1730–6).

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