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con·cin·ni·ty

(kən-sĭnĭ-tē)

n. pl. con·cin·ni·ties

1. Harmony in the arrangement or interarrangement of parts with respect to a whole.

2. Studied elegance and facility in style of expression: “He has what one character calls ‘the gifts of concinnity and concision,' that deft swipe with a phrase that can be so devastating in children” (Elizabeth Ward).

3. An instance of harmonious arrangement or studied elegance and facility.

[From Latin concinnitās, from concinnus, deftly joined, elegant : probably con-, variant of com-, com- + -cinnus, of unknown meaning and origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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