Coarsities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Characteristics or qualities that are rough, crude, or lacking refinement; instances of harshness or vulgarity in texture, language, or behavior; acts or details that lack smoothness or delicacy
2. Elements or traits that display a lack of gentleness, softness, or polish, often presenting as ruggedness or bluntness; manifestations of crude or unrefined conduct or speech; examples of rough or uneven surface quality
3. Features or aspects that show ruggedness or harshness either physically or metaphorically; occurrences of unpolished, blunt, or rude expressions or actions; properties or items that exhibit a gritty or roughened nature without smoothness

Etymology: "Coarsities" is the plural of "coarsity," a rare noun meaning a coarse quality or a crude instance of one. It is formed from "coarse" plus the English suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun of state or quality, as in "rapidity" from "rapid" or "vanity" from "vain." That makes it a transparent coinage rather than a word with a dramatic backstory. "Coarse" itself has a more surprising past. It is not a Latin borrowing. It came into English in the late 1300s, likely from the Middle English adjective "cos" or "cors," meaning ordinary, common or inferior, the sense it still carries in "coarse" as opposed to "fine." The idea of roughness in texture developed from that notion of low-grade, unrefined material, which is why a coarse cloth was once simply a cloth of common quality. The origin of the earlier form is uncertain, so the exact route from it to the modern adjective is debated.

Synonyms: roughnesses, crudenesses, rudenesses, uncouthnesses, crudities

Antonyms: finenesses, refinements, delicacies, elegances, smoothnesses