-icity|ˈɪsɪtɪ|a compound suffix, a. F. -icité, ad. L. -icitāt-em (nom.-icitās), formed by the addition of the suffix -tāt-(see -ty) to adj. stems in -ic(i), as rusticitās, lubricitās, f.rustic-us, lubric-us. On the analogy of these (perh. also influenced by ns. like simplicitās, felīcitās from simplex, felix), abstract ns. in -icité in Fr. and -icity in Eng. are formed freely upon adjs. of any origin in -ic: e.g.apostolicity, atomicity, authenticity, catholicity, domesticity, eccentricity, elasticity, electricity, publicity.
-icity/ˈɪsɪti/suffix.
ORIGIN:French-icité from Latin-icitat-, -tas suffix combining -tat- (see -ty1) with adjective stems in -ic(i)-, as rusticitas from rusticus.
Forming abstract nouns, also, by analogy, from adjectives of any origin in -ic, as electricity, publicity, etc.
-icity
IPA: /ɪs.ɪ.ti/
Suffix
Used to form nouns, denoting a quality or condition, from adjectives, especially ones ending in -ic (in which case "ic" is not duplicated).
Italian /ɪˈtæl.jən/ — Italianicity /ɪˈtæl.jən.ɪs.ɪ.ti/
electric /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɪk/ — electricity /ˌiː.lekˈtrɪs.ɪ.ti/ (not /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɪk.ɪ.ti/, nor *electricicity /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɪkɪs.ɪ.ti/)
Related terms
-ness
-hood
-ship
-itas
-itude
-th
-ia
-itia
-ity
-ability
-ibility
-osity
-ous
-ose
Related terms
nouns that end in icity without adjectives that end in ic
apricity
biplicity
Cantabrigicity
delicity
duplicity
febricity
felicity
immundicity
infelicity
insimplicity
nouns that end in icity with corresponding adjectives that end in ic
achromaticity
acoustoelectricity
adiabaticity
adicity
aeroelasticity
Afrocentricity
alcoholicity
allergenicity
allotropicity
amphiphilicity
amphoricity
analyticity
androcentricity
androgenicity
Anglicity
Anglocentricity
anharmonicity
anthropocentricity
antigenicity
apostolicity
aromaticity
asphericity
atomicity
atonicity
authenticity
automaticity
autopticity
baroclinicity
basicity
bioelectricity
caloricity
canonicity
carcinogenicity
cariogenicity
catholicity
causticity
Celticity
centricity
cerebricity
Christocentricity
chromaticity
chronicity
clastogenicity
clericity
climaticity
complicity
concentricity
conicity
cubicity
cylindricity
diabolicity
dibasicity
didacticity
domesticity
dynamicity
eccentricity
eclipticity
ecotoxicity
ecumenicity
egocentricity
Egypticity
elasticity
electricity
electrogenicity
electrotonicity
ellipticity
embryotoxicity
endemicity
endothermicity
ensynopticity
epidemicity
episodicity
ergodicity
ethericity
ethnicity
ethnocentricity
eupepticity
Eurocentricity
evangelicity
exothermicity
facticity
feminicity
ferroelectricity
fungitoxicity
gastricity
genotoxicity
gnosticity
Gothicity
helicity
heliocentricity
hepatotoxicity
heroicity
heteroscedasticity
historicity
homocentricity
homopathicity
homoscedasticity
hydraulicity
hydroelectricity
hydrophilicity
hydrophobicity
hygroscopicity
hyperchromicity
hypertonicity
hypochromicity
hypotonicity
iconicity
idiomaticity
illogicity
illustricity
immunogenicity
implasticity
implicity
impudicity
inauthenticity
inelasticity
inhistoricity
ionicity
isotacticity
isotonicity
laicity
lubricity
lymphocytotoxicity
lysogenicity
magnetoelasticity
magnetoelectricity
matricentricity
mendicity
metallicity
metaphoricity
microplasticity
microseismicity
mitogenicity
modicity
monatomicity
monochromaticity
monogenicity
monophasicity
monophonematicity
monospecificity
monosyllabicity
monotonicity
Mosaicity
motricity
multiplicity
mutagenicity
mycotoxicity
myelinotoxicity
myoelectricity
myonicity
mysticity
nephrotoxicity
neuricity
neuroelectricity
neurotoxicity
nonelasticity
nonpathogenicity
nonspecificity
nordicity
nucleophilicity
nullibicity
oceanicity
oestrogenicity
oncogenicity
opticity
organicity
ototoxicity
oxicity
oxygentoxicity
pacificity
paratonicity
pathogenicity
patricentricity
pentadicity
pepticity
periodicity
perlicity
pernicity
phallocentricity
phoenicity
phonemicity
phonocentricity
photochromicity
photoelasticity
photoelectricity
photoperiodicity
phototoxicity
phytopathogenicity
phytotoxicity
piezoelectricity
plasticity
pneumaticity
poikilosmoticity
poleofverticity
polyadicity
polybasicity
polycentricity
polysemanticity
polysyllabicity
polysystemicity
ponticity
pozzolanicity
priceelasticity
prolificity
pseudoplasticity
publicity
pudicity
pyrogenicity
quadruplicity
quantuplicity
radicity
radiotoxicity
randomicity
regiospecificity
rhoticity
rhythmicity
robusticity
RomanCatholicity
romanticity
rubricity
rusticity
saprobicity
scepticity
scientificity
seismicity
semanticity
septicity
sigmoidicity
simplicity
spasticity
specificity
sphericity
spheroidicity
stereospecificity
stochasticity
stoicity
stypticity
superhelicity
superplasticity
syllabicity
sympatheticity
synchronicity
syndiotacticity
synecticity
systematicity
tacticity
teratogenicity
tetricity
theocentricity
thermoelectricity
thermoplasticity
tithonicity
tolerogenicity
tonicity
toxicity
toxigenicity
transhistoricity
triboelectricity
triplicity
tumorigenicity
Turcocentricity
tympanicity
ubicity
unauthenticity
uncatholicity
unelasticity
unicity
unsimplicity
urotoxicity
vasculotoxicity
veridicity
verticity
viscoelasticity
volcanicity
vorticity
vulcanicity
References
English Words with Native Roots and with Greek, Latin, or Romance Suffixes, George Albert Nicholson (University of Chicago Press, 1916), page 12: lists "-icity" as a foreign suffix "Goth" has taken
The unmaking of Soviet Life, Caroline Humphrey (2002), page 226: "Barthes (1985, 37) points out that the advertisement does not just give the message that the product is Italian; it evokes "Italianicity". The suffix -icity serves to produce an abstract substantive from an adjective. "Italianicity is not Italy; it is the condensed essence of all that can be Italian, from spaghetti to painting." A similar mythicizing effect is produced in Russian in political discourse by adding the suffix -shchina to a proper name."
The Etymological Reader, Epes Sargent and Amasa May (1872), Suffixes of English Words, page 37: "-ACITY, -ICITY, -OCITY, n., the state of having, etc., signified by the above suffixes, -aceous, etc.; as, veracity, duplicity, ferocity."