English
formosity
Formosity comes from Latin fōrmōsitās ‘beauty’, and goes back to fōrma.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrma1‘shape, beauty’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEformōsus2‘beautiful, handsome’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmōsitās3‘beauty’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400formosité3
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500formosite3‘beauty’
- Englishearliest quotation 1602formosity3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin formosus
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin formositas
- 3 Wiktionary, English formosity
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1602, John Davies [i.e., John Davies of Hereford]: “In vaine therefore it is to beate our braines,…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmaWiktionary, Latin formosus‘shape, beauty’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEformōsusWiktionary, Latin formositas‘beautiful, handsome’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmōsitāsWiktionary, English formosity‘beauty’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400formositéWiktionary, English formosity
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500formositeWiktionary, English formosity‘beauty’
- Englishearliest quotation 1602formosityWiktionary, English formosity. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1602, John Davies [i.e., John Davies of Hereford]: “In vaine therefore it is to beate our braines,…”
Linked words
through Ancient Greek μορφή ‘shape, form’
through Etruscan *morma
transformation, informatics, uniformity, deformable, 16 more
through Latin fōrma ‘shape, beauty’
information, formation, reform, formula, format, formal, uniform, inform, forma, fromage, deform, 24 more
Today it means
noun Beauty.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “formosity”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin formosus, Latin formositas. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin fōrma / formosity