Vapidities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Describing the characteristics or qualities of being dull and lacking in liveliness or interest
2. referring to things that are empty or devoid of engaging content
3. indicating a state of insipidness or banality that fails to stimulate or entertain

Etymology: "Vapidities" is simply the plural of "vapidity," a noun meaning dullness or lack of interest. The base word, "vapid," came into English from Latin "vapidus," meaning flat or spoiled, as with wine that had gone stale. Its Latin ancestor is tied to "vapor," so the notion of something that has lost its spirit and given off its life is built into the word from the start. The noun is formed by adding the suffix "-ity" to "vapid." That suffix passed into English through Old French and Middle English from Latin "-itas," a common ending for turning adjectives into nouns of quality, as in "gravity" or "unity." So "vapidity" names the state of being vapid, and "vapidities" counts individual instances of that dullness, such as a string of tedious remarks or empty pleasantries.