Redundance

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈdʌndəns/

Definitions

1. The state of having more components than needed for efficiency or clarity
2. An occurrence where extra parts or information exist without improving overall utility or effectiveness
3. The condition of including more than necessary to the point of being superfluous

Etymology: "Redundance" comes from Latin "redundantia," a noun built on "redundare," meaning "to overflow" or "to surge back." The Latin verb combines "re-," "back" or "again," with "undare," "to flow" or "to rise in waves," from "unda," "wave." The image is literal: something that spills over the brim of a vessel, more than the container can hold. The English word is a borrowing from that Latin noun, and it kept the sense of excess that the Latin carried. Its modern meaning, having more parts than are needed, is the same idea applied to language and design: the surplus that spills past what efficiency or clarity requires. The word therefore describes overflow without any suggestion of waste or fault, which is why engineers and writers can use it neutrally.

Synonyms: redundancy, superfluity, excess, surplus

Antonyms: necessity, essentiality