Seniority

How to spell seniority

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce seniority

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does seniority mean?

1. nounThe status, rank, or priority a person has because of longer service or greater age within a group or organisation.

Seniority in a sentence

• Her seniority on the team meant she chose the holiday dates first.

• Promotions at the firm are based on merit rather than seniority.

Where does seniority come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin senior, the comparative form of senex meaning 'old', so it literally meant 'older'. From senior English took the idea of a person of greater age or higher standing, and by adding the noun-forming suffix -ity (borrowed through French from the Latin -itas, which turns an adjective into the name of a state or quality) the language formed a word for the condition of being senior. It entered English in the late fifteenth century, first signalling priority that comes from greater age, and later broadening to mean the rank or precedence earned through longer service in a job or organisation. The very same senex root sits inside the familiar words 'senate' (originally a council of elders) and 'senile', which helps explain why the spelling keeps that 'sen' opening. The trap for writers is the unstressed middle of the word, where the 'ior' is easy to slur or reorder, even though it simply preserves the 'senior' you already know.

How the word is built

• senior (from Latin senior: older)
• -ity (noun-forming suffix meaning state or quality)