Farcicality

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality characterized by ludicrousness or absurdity presented humorously
2. A state marked by extreme ridiculousness and comical exaggeration in behavior or situations
3. The state of exhibiting amusingly absurd or ludicrous qualities that provoke laughter or disbelief

Etymology: "Farcicality" is a straightforward formation: it takes the adjective "farcical" and adds the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun meaning the quality or state of being that adjective. The adjective itself is built from "farce" with "-ical," so the word is really a chain of two suffixes stacked on one root. The root "farce" is the more interesting part. It came into English from Old French, where it meant "stuffing," and it traces back to Latin "farcire," "to stuff." Medieval cooks used the word for filling meat and other foods with seasonings, and the link to comedy came later, when short comic interludes were inserted into religious plays and dramatic performances, as if stuffed into them. The noun thus moved from kitchen filling to a theatrical genre of exaggerated, improbable humor, and the adjective "farcical" carried that sense of ridiculous overstatement into everyday speech. "Farcicality" therefore names the condition of being absurdly exaggerated in the way a stage farce is, a quality inherited from a word that once described padding a dish.

Synonyms: absurdity, ridiculousness, foolishness, comicality, preposterousness

Antonyms: seriousness, gravity, solemnity, sincerity, earnestness