felicity
pronunciation
How to pronounce felicity in British English:
UK [fəˈlɪsəti]
How to pronounce felicity in American English:
US [fɪˈlɪsɪti]
-
- Noun:
- pleasing and appropriate manner or style (especially manner or style of expression)
- state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
Word Origin
- felicity
- felicity: [14] Felicity and its relatives felicitous [18] and felicitate [17] all come ultimately from Latin fēlīx. This originally meant ‘fruitful’ (it is probably related to English fecund and foetus) but by classical times had progressed semantically via ‘favourable, fortunate’ to ‘happy’.=> fecund, foetus
- felicity (n.)
- late 14c., "happiness; that which is a source of happiness," from Old French felicite "happiness" (14c.), from Latin felicitatem (nominative felicitas) "happiness, fertility," from felix (genitive felicis) "happy, fortunate, fruitful, fertile," from Latin root *fe-, equivalent of PIE *dhe(i)- "to suck, suckle, produce, yield" (see fecund). Meaning "skillful adroitness, admirable propriety" is from c. 1600. A relic of Rome's origins as an agricultural community: that which brings happiness is that which produces crops. Compare pauper (see poor (adj.)) "poor, not wealthy," literally "producing little."
Antonym
Example
- 1. His search for felicity for man on earth was typically tolstoyan .
- 2. So levels of income are , if anything , inversely related to felicity .
- 3. Elsewhere , the far-right nationalist action party ( mhp ) and the overtly islamist felicity party did well .
- 4. This , we would insist , is why we need theater , especially tragedy - " absent thee from felicity awhile . "
- 5. On the other side , mr erdogan 's failure to deliver on issues dear to his pious constituents , such as easing the ban on the headscarf , allowed felicity to snatch some voters away .