• Alacrity

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /əˈlæk.ɹɪ.ti/, /əˈlæk.ɹə.ti/

    Origin

    Coined between 1500 and 1510 from Latin alacritās,

    "Alacrity" in Dictionary.com

    from alacer ("brisk") + -itas ("-ity").

    Full definition of alacrity

    Noun

    alacrity

    (plural alacrities)
    1. Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.
      • 1837, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, ch. 12:"I'll get into the clothes this minute, if they're here," said Sam, with great alacrity.
      • 1922, Edith Wharton, The Glimpses of the Moon, ch. 24:This evening, however, he was struck by the beaming alacrity of the aide-de-camp's greeting.
    2. Promptness; speed.
      • 1849, Henry David Thoreau, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience":Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way.
      • 1902, Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, Part 1:He had a uniform jacket with one button off, and seeing a white man on the path, hoisted his weapon to his shoulder with alacrity.

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