Word of the Day

: February 5, 2007

concinnity

noun kun-SIH-nuh-tee

What It Means

: harmony or elegance of design especially of literary style in adaptation of parts to a whole or to each other

concinnity in Context

Julia maintains that no modern play can rival the concinnity of the classical Greek tragedies.

Did You Know?

The Romans apparently found perfect harmony in a well-mixed drink. The cocktail in question was a beverage they called "cinnus," and so agreeably concordant did they find it that its name apparently inspired the formation of "concinnare," a verb meaning "to place fitly together." "Concinnare" gave rise to "concinnus," meaning "skillfully put together," which in turn fermented into "concinnitas." English speakers added the word to our mix in the 1500s as "concinnity."