Connectivity

How to spell connectivity

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce connectivity

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does connectivity mean?

1. nounThe state or extent to which devices, systems, or things are connected to one another, especially the ability to access a network.

Connectivity in a sentence

• The hotel advertised free wireless connectivity in every room.

• Poor mobile connectivity made the video call freeze repeatedly.

Where does connectivity come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin verb connectere, meaning 'to bind or tie together', formed from com- 'together' and nectere 'to bind, fasten, or weave'. The same nectere root sits inside 'annex', 'nexus', and 'connect' itself, all sharing the idea of things fastened into one. English took 'connect' from this Latin source in the early 1600s, and the noun 'connectivity' is a much later, scientific coinage built from the adjective 'connective' plus the abstract suffix -ity. It first appeared in technical fields such as anatomy and mathematics in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to describe the quality of being interconnected. In the digital age the meaning narrowed in everyday use to the ability of devices and networks to link up and stay linked. The spelling stays regular once you see the parts: a single 'n' in con-, the double 'n' arising where con- meets nect, then the predictable -iv-ity ending.

How the word is built

• con- (together, from com-)
• nect (bind, tie)
• -iv(e) (forming an adjective)
• -ity (forming a noun of quality)