felicity
Meaning
- (uncountable) Happiness; (countable) an instance of this.
- (uncountable) An apt and pleasing style in speech, writing, etc.; (countable) an apt and pleasing choice of words.
- (rare, uncountable) Good luck; success; (countable) An instance of unexpected good luck; a stroke of luck; also, a lucky characteristic.
- (uncountable) Reproduction of a sign with fidelity.
- (countable) Something that is either a source of happiness or particularly apt.
- (uncountable) Period (as opposed to lifetime) utility.
Synonyms
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/fɪˈlɪsɪti/
Etymology
In summary
From Middle English felicite (“bliss, happiness, joy; delight, pleasure; a source of happiness; good fortune; prosperity; well-being; of a planet: in an influential position”) [and other forms], borrowed from Old French felicité (modern French félicité (“bliss, happiness; felicity”)), from Latin fēlīcitātem, the accusative singular of fēlīcitās (“fertility, fruitfulness; happiness, felicity; good fortune; success”), from fēlix (“happy; blessed, fortunate, lucky; fertile, fruitful; prosperous; auspicious, favourable”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to nurse, suckle”)) + -itās (a variant of -tās (suffix forming nouns indicating a state of being)).
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Notes