Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-ity” come from?

-ity (English) comes from Middle English -ite, from Old French -ité, from Latin -itās, from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂ts, from Proto-Indo-European -teh₂, from Proto-Indo-European -tós — Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems.

-ity (English): Used to form a noun from an adjective;...

Definitions

  1. Used to form a noun from an adjective;...

Ancestry of “-ity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-ite—
2Old French-ité-ity
3Latin-itās—
4Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
5Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
6Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “-ity”

  • security
  • opportunity
  • responsibility
  • intensity
  • velocity
  • liability
  • complexity
  • utility
  • electricity
  • validity
  • prosperity
  • sensitivity
  • productivity
  • availability
  • purity
  • popularity
  • severity
  • reliability
  • similarity
  • sexuality
  • maturity
  • creativity
  • accountability
  • vicinity
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →