Word For the Day - ENORMITY

www.merriam-webster.com ^ | 02/16/2018 | Red Badger

[Red Badger]

Today's Word For The Day, ENORMITY, has changed over the years. It ORIGINALLY MEANT A GRAVE SIN OR MORAL SHORTCOMING. i.e e-norm meaning NOT NORMAL.

But today it is used to suggest a relational size of something.....

e·nor·mi·ty iˈnôrmədē/

noun noun: enormity; plural noun: enormities

1. the great or extreme scale, seriousness, or extent of something perceived as bad or morally wrong. "a thorough search disclosed the full enormity of the crime" (in neutral use) the large size or scale of something. "I began to get a sense of the enormity of the task" synonyms: immensity, hugeness; More size, extent, magnitude, greatness "the enormity of the task" 2. a grave crime or sin. "the enormities of the regime" synonyms: wickedness, evil, vileness, baseness, depravity; More outrageousness, monstrousness, hideousness, heinousness, horror, atrocity; villainy, cruelty, inhumanity, mercilessness, brutality, savagery, viciousness "the enormity of his crimes" outrage, horror, evil, atrocity, barbarity, abomination, monstrosity, obscenity, iniquity; crime, sin, violation, wrong, offense, disgrace, injustice, abuse "the enormities of the regime"

Origin late Middle English: via Old French from Latin enormitas, from enormis, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out of’ + norma ‘pattern, standard.’ The word originally meant ‘deviation from legal or moral rectitude’ and ‘transgression’ Current senses have been influenced by enormous.

[Red Badger]

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of “Word for the Day”.

Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence. The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day. Amuse me or enlighten me for extra credit.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Today’s near-constant sexual presence and ever-worse internet trash means the society is already falling from community norms and standards we could be proud of into the new and ever-worse enormity of pornography and self-pleasure.

[Fhios]

The ENORMITY of the Obama administration’s crimes have approached the point of being Bigly.

[bigbob]

Due to the enormity of her cankles, special leg irons will be needed when Hillary is taken into custody.

[Red Badger]

Custom made by designer of course!..............A+++.............

[Red Badger]

You actually made sense!...................A++++!..................

[Red Badger]

And YUGE!................A++++!.............

[M Kehoe]

The ENORMITY of corruption at the FBI makes Watergate look like choir practice.

Okay terrible, I’ll go stand in the corner.

Where’s the thermos...?

5.56mm

[Red Badger]

Not terrible!
Perfectly acceptable!.................A+++!.................

[stormhill]

The first definition seems ambiguous in that it provides an example that doesn’t fit it. Both basic definitions are in line with my perception of the meaning of the word such as an allusion to the enormity of school shootings.
However, this runs contrary to common usage which uses the word almost exclusively as a synonym for magnitude. Lexicographers are doing violence to the language by including the misuse of words in their definitions while ignoring their etymology thus diluting and ultimately obscuring the real meaning of words.

[Red Badger]

Origin late Middle English:

via Old French from Latin enormitas, from enormis, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out of’ + norma ‘pattern, standard.’

The word originally meant ‘deviation from legal or moral rectitude’ and ‘transgression’.

Current senses have been influenced by ‘enormous.’....................

[stormhill]

Thank you. My point exactly.
This is not the only word whose meaning we're on the verge of losing. You're doing a great service.

[Texan5]

Home from work and it is starting to drizzle-again-I’m getting seasonal depressive disorder from the lack of sunshine-

The enormity of the narrative
The Clintons tried to peddle
Was based on the suggestion
That Russians tried to meddle

To see that we got pres Trump
To hear Hillary’s minions tell-
Now the truth is out we know
Russia wanted Bernie as well

So much for all the collusion
It only happened in one camp-
Along with Steele’s dossier
It shows that Clinton stamp...

[Red Badger]

Cheer up! The rain will bring the flowers of the Spring!

It rains on the wicked as well as the righteous..............A++++!.................

[Texan5]

It’s a joke-it has been a rainy winter, which I didn’t mind-we have an abundance of wildflowers out here after a rainy winter-makes the trails even more pleasant to hike...