Absurdity

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /É™bˈsɝd.ɪ.ti/
• US

Origin

First attested around 1472. From Middle English absurdite,

RHCD|page=7

then from either Middle French absurdité, or from Late Latin absurditas ("dissonance, incongruity"), from Latin absurdus + -itas("quality, state, degree").

MW3 1976|page=8

SOED5|page=10

Equivalent to absurd + -ity.

Full definition of absurdity

Noun

1. (obsolete, rare) Dissonance. Attested from around 1350 to 1470 until the late 17^th century.
2. (countable) That which is absurd; an absurd action; a logical contradiction. First attested in the late 15^th century.
• His travels were full of absurdities. - Johnson
3. (uncountable) The quality of being absurd or inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment. First attested in the early 16^th century.
• The absurdity of the actual idea of an infinite number. - John Locke
• Schuster Hepaticae V|viiiNeither Jones... nor I (in 1966) could conceive of reducing our "science" to the ultimate absurdity of reading Finnish newspapers almost a century and a half old in order to establish "priority."