swarthiness

American  

[swawr-thee-nis, -thee-] / ˈswɔr ði nɪs, -θi- /

noun

1. darkness of the skin or complexion.

   In numerous ancient Greek writings, the paleness and blondness of the northern people is contrasted with the swarthiness of the Egyptians and Ethiopians.

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Etymology

Origin of swarthiness

swarthy ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

On a recent episode, Bim and Nichole talk about one Jason’s “rough-and-ready charms” and the other’s raspy-voiced swarthiness.

From Slate • Nov. 12, 2019

When Roger opened his eyes and saw him, a darker shadow crept beneath the swarthiness of his skin; but Jack noticed nothing.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

He was a lean, active man, very richly dressed, and with a face that by its swarthiness of skin and the sable hue of beard and hair looked almost black.

From Bardelys the Magnificent; being an account of the strange wooing pursued by the Sieur Marcel de Saint-Pol, marquis of Bardelys... by Sabatini, Rafael

Truly enough he had a most villainous countenance, what with his native swarthiness and his broken and dented nose, so horridly embellished with a gash of red paint.

From The Hidden Children by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)

"The theory that swarthiness produced by sun-burning need not be disfiguring to a woman" is, Margoliouth holds, taken by Theocritus from Canticles.

From The Book of Delight and Other Papers by Abrahams, Israel