enormity (2009-09-18)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: [i-'nor-mê-tee]

Definition: A monstrously abnormal act, an unspeakable atrocity or the state of being unspeakably atrocious.

Usage: "You have no idea of the enormity of my business transactions," said an eminent Stock Exchange speculator to a friend. He was perhaps nearer the truth than he intended. Here is a sentence that might help distinguish the two meanings: "The enormity of Nazi concentration camps was enormous."

Suggested Usage: (1) Today's word is often misused to mean "enormousness" as a result of a change in meaning of "enormous" from "abnormal" to "extremely large." However, please read today's etymology carefully: "enormity" is not the noun from "enormous" for its meaning has not changed in tandem with that of "enormous." It derives from an older word enorm "abnormal, perverted" and retains much of the original meaning of that word. (2) Today's word is often misused to mean "enormousness" as a result of a change in meaning of "enormous" from "abnormal" to "extremely large." However, please read today's etymology carefully: "enormity" is not the noun from "enormous" for its meaning has not changed in tandem with that of "enormous." It derives from an older word enorm "abnormal, perverted" and retains much of the original meaning of that word.

Etymology: Until the 18th century an enormity was an abnormality, an irregularity, something way outside the norm, since the word is derived from enorm "abnormal, perverted" from Latin enormis "abnormal, enormous" based on e(x) "out" + norma "carpenter's square, rule, norm." Latin "norma" probably comes from an Etruscan borrowing of Greek gnomon "carpenter's square, rule." The root of "gnomon" is the same as that of "know" and is found also in Latin ignorare "to not know" from which we borrowed both "ignore" and "ignorant." The meaning of "enormous," however, has gravitated toward abnormal only in size and that meaning eventually has influenced "enormity."