Concinnity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of arrangement in a work or composition signifies a pleasing balance and elegance of diverse elements, demonstrating skillful integration and harmony
2. Pertaining to the orderly and aesthetically pleasing design, this term embodies the congruence and balance found in the combination of various parts
3. The harmonious arrangement and elegance of different components reveal the integration and balance achieved in a composition

Etymology: Sir Thomas Elyot coined "concinnity" in 1531, in The Boke Named The Governor, a treatise on how a gentleman should be educated and conduct himself. He took it straight from the Latin "concinnitas", which carried the sense of something skillfully put together. Elyot was reaching for a word that could describe a pleasing order in speech and writing, and the Latin gave him one ready-made. The Latin root behind it is "concinnus", meaning neat, fitting or harmonious, and the word was used by Roman writers to praise well-balanced prose and polished style. English borrowed the idea along with the word, so that from the start "concinnity" meant elegance achieved through careful arrangement rather than mere ornament.