nə̇s sometimes especially when an unstressed syllable precedes & especially in the pl ˌnes; see business noun suffix
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English -nes, -ness, -nesse, from Old English -nes, -ness, -nyss, -nys; akin to Old Saxon -nissi, -nussi -ness, Middle Dutch -nisse, -nesse, Old High German -nissa, -nassī, -nussī, Gothic -inassus ( -n-, -in- being originally part of the stem)
: state : condition : quality : degree
good ness
great ness
sick ness