severity

severe +‎ -ity, from Middle French severite, from Latin severitas.

• (US) IPA^(key): /səˈvɛɹəti/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɛɹəti

severity (countable and uncountable, plural severities)

1. The state of being severe.
   • 1948, Harold Vinal, Voices‎, numbers 132-136, →OCLC, page 51:

     […] the fear of God whereof ' tis written Keeper : But not the fear of punishment for sin
     And I can see that the uncertainty In which we act is a severity ,
     A cruelty , amounting to injustice
     That nothing but God's mercy can assuage . […]

2. The degree of something undesirable; badness or seriousness.

   The severity of the offence merits a long prison sentence.

• severeness