Definify.com

Definition 2024


-osity

-osity

English

Suffix

-osity

  1. Forming nouns, usually abstract, and usually from adjectives in -ous or -ose.
  2. (colloquial) Forming nouns from other adjectives for humourous effect.

Usage notes

Rarely productive in English, outside of humourous use – primarily found in borrowings from Latin, often via French.

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

  1. J[ohn] A. Simpson and E[dward] S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ISBN 978-0-19-861186-8.
  2. Why is it spelled “curiosity” instead of “curiousity?”