'wetness' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'wǣtnes,' where 'wǣt' meant 'wet' and '-nes' was a suffix indicating a state or condition.

'wǣtnes' transformed into the Middle English word 'wetnesse,' and eventually became the modern English word 'wetness'.

Initially, it meant 'the state of being wet,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.