-ity

suffix forming nouns denoting:
1 quality or condition (authority; humility; purity).
2 an instance or degree of this (a monstrosity; humidity).
Etymology: from or after F -iteacute f. L -itas -itatis

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\\əd.ē, ətē, -i; when s, less often when r, precedes, the first vowel is sometimes lost, as in kəˈpastē for “capacity”\ noun suffix (-es)

Etymology: Middle English -ite, from Old French or Latin; Old French -ité, from Latin -itat-, -itas, from -i- (thematic or, rarely, connective vowel) + -tat-, -tas -ty

: quality : state : degree

asininity

theatricality

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a suffix used to form abstract nouns expressing state or condition: jollity; civility; Latinity.

[var. of -itie, ME -ite < OF < L -itat- (s. of -itas); in many words repr. L -itas directly]

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-ity /-it-i/

suffix

Forming nouns denoting a state or quality, as in chastity, creativity

ORIGIN: L -itas

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-ity,

suffix forming nouns from adjectives. the condition, quality, or fact of being _____: »

Timidity = the condition of being timid. Sincerity = the condition or quality of being sincere.

Also, -ty.

╂[< Old French -ite < Latin -itās]

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suffix forming nouns denoting quality or condition

humility | probity

■ denoting an instance or degree of this

a profanity

Origin:

from French -ité, from Latin -itas, -itatis

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/əti/ noun suffix

: quality, state, or degree

availability

stability

absurdity

complexity

salinity

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-ity [-ity] suffix

(in nouns) the quality or state of

•

purity

•

oddity

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-ity

[ME. -ite, a. F. -ité, L. -itāt-em]

the usual form in which the suffix (L. -tās, -tātem, expressing state or condition) appears, the i- being orig. either the stem vowel of the radical (e.g. L. suāvi-tās suavity), or its weakened repr. (e.g. L. puro-, pūri-tās purity), rarely a mere connective (e.g. L. auctōr-i-tās authority; so ME. emperorite, in Vernon MS., St. Ambrose 886). The last became more frequent in med. and mod.L., and the mod. langs., in abstracts from comparatives, as majority, minority, superiority, inferiority, interiority. Hence such formations as egoity, with playful or pedantic nonce-words of Eng. formation, as between-ity, coxcomb-ity, cuppe-ity, table-ity, threadbar-ity, woman-ity (after humani-ty), youthfull-ity.

After i, -ity becomes -ety, as in pie-ty, varie-ty (L. pietātem, varie-tātem). The termination was in L. often added to another adj. suffix, e.g. -āci-, -āli-, -āno-, -āri-, -ārio-, -bili-, -eo-, -idi-, -ido-, -ili-, -īli-, -ino-, -īno-, -io-, -īvo-, -ōci-, -ōso-, -ui-, -uo-, etc., whence the Eng. endings -acity, -ality, -anity, -arity, -ariety, -bility, -eity, -idity, -ility, -inity, -iety, -ivity, -ocity, -osity, -uity, some of which, as -bility (-ability, -ibility) attain almost to the rank of independent suffixes. The earlier popular Fr. form was -eté, in Eng. -ety and -ty, as in safety, bounty, plenty: see -ty.