Fumosity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A condition characterized by the presence of smoke or fumes in the atmosphere; a state of air contaminated by gases or particulate matter; an environment filled with dense vapors, often affecting visibility and air quality
2. The quality of an area being filled with the presence of smoke; an atmospheric condition marked by the accumulation of noxious fumes; the state of air heavily laden with smoke or chemical vapors, potentially harmful to breathe
3. An environmental condition where smoke is prevalent and affecting the air; an ambiance characterized by vapors and fumes that may impair health; a state marked by pollution in the air due to the presence of smoke or other particles

Etymology: "Fumosity" descends from Latin "fumus," meaning smoke, the same root that gives English "fume" and "fumigate." The Latin adjective "fumosus" meant smoky or full of smoke, and from it Old French formed "fumosité," a noun for the condition of being smoky. English took the term from that French form in the Middle English period, so the word has travelled through three languages to describe the same thing: the smoky, hazy air of a place. The word's suffix does most of the work here. The "-ity" ending, from Latin "-itas," turns an adjectival quality into a noun, so "fumosity" names the state of being fumose, or smoky, much as "curiosity" names the state of being curious. The modern meaning has narrowed toward air pollution and health hazards, but the core sense is still the one Latin speakers would have recognised: a murky atmosphere thick with smoke.

Synonyms: smokiness, haze, fogginess

Antonyms: clarity, clearness