Validity

How to spell validity

8 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce validity

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does validity mean?

1. nounThe quality of being legally or logically sound, well founded, and acceptable.

Validity in a sentence

• The lawyer questioned the validity of the contract because two signatures were missing.

• Researchers tested the validity of the survey before publishing their conclusions.

Where does validity come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective validus, meaning 'strong, robust, or effective', which itself grew from the verb valere, 'to be strong or to be well'. The Romans built the noun validitas to name the quality of being strong or having force. English took it up in the late sixteenth century, partly through French validite, with the sense of legal soundness and binding force rather than mere physical strength. The same valere root sits inside a surprising family of everyday words, including 'value', 'valiant', 'prevail', and the farewell 'valediction', and even the Italian toast 'salut' shares the idea of being well. Remembering that the heart of the word is 'valid' (just add the smooth -ity ending) keeps the spelling on track.

How the word is built

• valid- (from Latin validus: strong, effective)
• -ity (noun-forming suffix denoting a state or quality)