-osity
English
Etymology
From Middle English -ouste, from Old French -ouseté, from Latin -ōsitāt-; later modified to the current form.[1][2] It is equivalent to -ose or -ous + -ity.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɒ.sɪ.ti/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɑ.sə.ti/, /-ɾi/
- Hyphenation: -o‧si‧ty
Suffix
-osity
- Forming nouns, usually abstract, and usually from adjectives in -ous or -ose.
- (colloquial) Forming nouns from other adjectives for humorous effect.
Usage notes
Rarely productive in English outside of humorous use – primarily found in borrowings from Latin, often via French.
Synonyms
Derived terms
English terms suffixed with -osity
terms derived from adjectives in -ous
terms derived from adjectives in -ose
other derivations
terms derived using -osity for humorous effect
References
- ^ John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “-osity”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
- ^ Why is it spelled “curiosity” instead of “curiousity?”