Clarity

How to spell clarity

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce clarity

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does clarity mean?

1. nounThe quality of being clear, easy to see, hear, or understand.

Clarity in a sentence

• The report was praised for the clarity of its argument.

• The new lens gave the photographs remarkable clarity.

Where does clarity come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin adjective clarus, which literally meant 'bright' or 'shining' and was also used of sounds to mean 'loud' and 'clear'. From clarus the Romans built the noun claritas, meaning 'brightness' or 'distinctness', and that abstract noun passed through Old French as clarte before settling into English in the late fourteenth century. Its earliest English senses leaned on the original idea of light and brightness, and only later did the meaning broaden to cover clearness of thought, vision, and expression. The same clarus root brightens a whole family of relatives, including 'clear' itself, 'declare', and even the name 'Clare'. The spelling holds to the Latin -ity ending rather than the French -te, which is why the trap is remembering the single 'r' and the unstressed second syllable.

How the word is built

• clar- (from clarus: clear, bright)
• -ity (noun suffix denoting a quality or state)