Where does “clarity” come from?
Clarity comes from Middle English claritee, from Old French clarté, from Latin claritas, the quality of being clarus (clear), formed with the Latin suffix -tus from Proto-Indo-European kelh₁- (to shine or be bright) plus the Proto-Indo-European participial suffix -tós.
clarity (English): The state or measure of being clear, either in...
Definitions
- The state or measure of being clear, either in...
Ancestry of “clarity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | claritee | — |
| 2 | Old French | clarté | clarity; clearness |
| 3 | Latin | clāritās | clarity, brightness, vividness |
| 4 | Latin | -tās | ty, -dom, -hood, -ness, -ship |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |