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concinnity

 - 2 dictionary results

con⋅cin⋅ni⋅ty

[kuhn-sin-i-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.
1. Rhetoric.
a. a close harmony of tone as well as logic among the elements of a discourse.
b. an instance of this.
2. any harmonious adaptation of parts.

Origin:
1525–35; < L concinnitās, equiv. to concinn(us) concinnous + -itās -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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con·cin·ni·ty   (kən-sĭn'ĭ-tē)   
n.   pl. con·cin·ni·ties
  1. Harmony in the arrangement or interarrangement of parts with respect to a whole.

  2. Studied elegance and facility in style of expression: "He has what one character calls 'the gifts of concinnity and concision,' that deft swipe with a phrase that can be so devastating in children" (Elizabeth Ward).

  3. An instance of harmonious arrangement or studied elegance and facility.


[From Latin concinnitās, from concinnāre, to put in order, from concinnus, deftly joined.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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