-ity
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Middle English -ite, from Old French -ite, -ete, -eteit (“-ity”), from Latin -itātem, from -itās, from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts (suffix). Cognate with Gothic -𐌹𐌸𐌰 (-iþa, “-th”), Old High German -ida (“-th”), Old English -þo, -þu, -þ (“-th”). More at -th.
Alternative forms[edit]
Suffix[edit]
-ity
- Used to form an uncountable noun from an adjective; especially, to form the noun referring to the state, property, or quality of conforming to the adjective's description.
- absurd + -ity → absurdity (“the quality of being absurd or inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment”)
- anonym(ous) + -ity → anonymity (“the quality or state of being anonymous”)
- modern + -ity → modernity (“the quality of being modern or contemporary”)
- precar(ious) + -ity → precarity (“a condition of existence without predictability or security, affecting material or psychological welfare”)
- Used to form a countable noun from an adjective, referring to someone or something that conforms to the adjective's description.
- absurd + -ity → [an] absurdity (“that which is absurd; an absurd action; a logical contradiction”)
- anonym(ous) + -ity → [an] anonymity (“that which is anonymous”)
- insipid + -ity → [an] insipidity (“something that is insipid; an insipid utterance, sight, object, etc.”)
- oddity + -ity → [an] oddity (“an odd or strange thing or opinion; a strange person; an oddball”)
- Used to form other nouns, especially abstract nouns.
Usage notes[edit]
- Many nouns formed with -ity are uncountable; those that are countable form their plurals in -ities.
- The addition of -ity to an adjective results in a shift of stress to the antepenultimate syllable; that is, words in -ity are stressed on the last syllable before the -ity, even in cases where this syllable is part of another suffix (as in words in -ability and -icity). Further, this shift typically results in a change in vowel quality; compare, for example, real and reality, where the sound [æ] in the second word is not present in the first. These vowel quality changes are usually consistent with the spelling of both forms — note that the letter <a> in the second word is present in the first — but sometimes spelling changes are seen, as with the suffix -ous, which when it combines with -ity produces the suffix -osity.
- While a final -c is pronounced [k], before -ity it becomes [s]; compare, for example, elastic and elasticity.
- Final -e is dropped before adding this suffix.
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
Used to form nouns from adjectives.
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See also[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
See -ety.
Suffix[edit]
-ity
- Alternative form of -ety
- hip + -ity → hippity, hippity-hop
Polish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Suffix[edit]
-ity m
Declension[edit]
Declension of -ity
Derived terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
Categories:
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English lemmas
- English suffixes
- English productive suffixes
- English unproductive suffixes
- English noun-forming suffixes
- Polish 2-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Polish/itɨ
- Rhymes:Polish/itɨ/2 syllables
- Polish lemmas
- Polish suffixes
- Polish masculine suffixes