Nonessentiality

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or condition of something lacking essential importance or necessity
2. The characteristic of not being indispensable or crucial in a particular context
3. The attribute of being non-essential, meaning it is not required or vital

Etymology: "Nonessentiality" is a plain, transparent formation: it combines the prefix "non-" ("not") with "essentiality," the quality of being essential. That noun in turn grows from "essential," which came into English from Old French and ultimately from Latin "essentialis," a term rooted in "essentia," "essence." Its own history stretches back to the Latin verb "esse," "to be." Nonessentiality can be read as either "non-" attached to "essentiality" or "nonessential" with the suffix "-ity" added to it. Both routes produce the same meaning: the condition of not being necessary or vital. The suffix "-ity" is the familiar English ending that turns adjectives into abstract nouns, so the word simply names the state of being nonessential.

Synonyms: inessentiality, unnecessariness