• Simplicity

    Pronunciation

    Origin

    From Old French simplicite, from Latin simplicitas, from simplex ("simple"); see simple.

    Noun

    simplicity

    (countable and uncountable; plural simplicitys)
    1. The quality or state of being simple, unmixed, or uncompounded; as, the simplicity of metals or of earths.
    2. The quality or state of being not complex, or of consisting of few parts; as, the simplicity of a machine.
    3. Artlessness of mind; freedom from cunning or duplicity; lack of acuteness and sagacity.
    4. Freedom from artificial ornament, pretentious style, or luxury; plainness; as, simplicity of dress, of style, or of language; simplicity of diet; simplicity of life.
    5. Freedom from subtlety or abstruseness; clearness; as, the simplicity of a doctrine; the simplicity of an explanation or a demonstration.
    6. Freedom from complication; efficiency.
      • 2013-08-03, Boundary problems, Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory. Its apparent simplicity explains why it is scrutinised down to tenths of a percentage point every month.
    7. Weakness of intellect; silliness; folly.
    8. (rare) An act or instance of foolishness.
      • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.31:speaking of the great simplicity we commit, in leaving yong children under the government and charge of their fathers and parents.

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