-ity

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See also: ity and -itý

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ɪti]; but see the usage notes below

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

  1. 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”)
  2. 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”)
  3. 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]
English terms suffixed with -ity
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

See -ety.

Suffix[edit]

-ity

  1. Alternative form of -ety
    ‎hip + ‎-ity → ‎hippity, hippity-hop

Polish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈi.tɨ/
  • Rhymes: -itɨ
  • Syllabification: i‧ty

Suffix[edit]

-ity m

  1. Forms masculine adjectives
    ‎pracować + ‎-ity → ‎pracowity

Declension[edit]

Declension of -ity
case singular plural
masculine personal/animate masculine inanimate neuter feminine virile nonvirile
nominative, vocative -ity -ite -ita -ici -ite
genitive -itego -itej -itych
dative -itemu -itym
accusative -itego -ity -ite -itą -itych -ite
instrumental -itym -itymi
locative -itej -itych

Derived terms[edit]

Polish terms suffixed with -ity

Further reading[edit]

  • -ity in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • -ity in Polish dictionaries at PWN
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