-ity

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əti/, /ɪti/; but see the usage notes below
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əti/, , , /ɪti/,

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /əti/,

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.

• -ty
• ⠰⠽

-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.”)

   ‎odd + ‎-ity → ‎[an] oddity (“an odd or strange thing or opinion; a strange person; an oddball”)

3. Used to form other nouns, especially abstract nouns.

• Many nouns formed with -ity are uncountable; those that are countable form their plurals in -ities.
• Final -e is dropped before adding this suffix.
• 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 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 , before -ity it becomes ; compare, for example, elastic and elasticity.

• -ability, -ibility

• -ness, -hood, -ship, -itas, -itude, -th, -ia, -itia, -ability, -ibility, -icity, -osity, -ous, -ose

Variant of -ety, likely an alteration of -edy, equivalent to -ed +‎ -y.

-ity

1. Alternative form of -ety

   ‎hip + ‎-ity → ‎hippity, hippity-hop

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-itъ.

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.tɘ/
• Rhymes: -itɘ
• Syllabification:

-ity m

1. forms masculine adjectives

   ‎pracować + ‎-ity → ‎pracowity

• -ity in Polish dictionaries at PWN