Fumosities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A quality of being smoky or filled with vapors
2. the presence of an indistinct haze that obscures clarity
3. a condition characterized by a thick or clouded atmosphere often associated with pollution or fog

Etymology: "Fumosities" is simply the plural of "fumosity," so it shares its history. The noun traces back to Latin "fumosus," meaning smoky or full of smoke, built on "fumus," smoke. It reached English in Middle English as "fumosite," having passed through Old French "fumosité," the same Latinate pattern that gave English many abstract nouns ending in "-ity." The sense is a near-literal one: something smoky, thick, or murky in the air. Because the Latin root points so plainly at smoke, the modern meaning of heavy fog or pollution is a direct extension of the original image rather than a shift away from it. The plural form "fumosities" is used when speaking of several such conditions or instances.