-ity

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əti/, /ɪti/; but see the usage notes below (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /əti/, [əɾi], [ɾi], /ɪti/, [ɪɾi] (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /əti/, [əɾi] === Etymology 1 === From Middle English -ite, -itee, 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. By surface analysis, -i- (“connecting vowel”) +‎ -ty. ==== Alternative forms ==== -ty ⠰⠽ ==== Suffix ==== -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.”) ‎odd + ‎-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 ===== Many nouns formed with -ity are uncountable; those that are countable form their plurals in -ities. Final -e is dropped before adding this suffix. Final -ble changes to -bil before this suffix due to its Latin origin; compare, for example, noble and nobility. Pronunciation: 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. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== -ability, -ibility ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== -ness, -hood, -ship, -itas, -itude, -th, -ia, -itia, -ability, -ibility, -icity, -osity, -ous, -ose === Etymology 2 === Variant of -ety, likely an alteration of -edy, equivalent to -ed +‎ -y. ==== Suffix ==== -ity Alternative form of -ety. ‎hip + ‎-ity → ‎hippity, hippity-hop == Old Polish == === Etymology === Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-itъ. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (10th–15th CE) /itiː/ IPA(key): (15th CE) /iti/ === Suffix === -ity forms adjectives ‎pracować + ‎-ity → ‎pracowity ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Polish: -ity == Polish == === Etymology === Inherited from Old Polish -ity. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈi.tɘ/ Rhymes: -itɘ Syllabification: -i‧ty === Suffix === -ity forms adjectives ‎pracować + ‎-ity → ‎pracowity ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === -ity in Polish dictionaries at PWN