Vernility

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition characterized by a deficiency in maturity or experience
2. The state of showing insufficient maturity or lack of worldly experience
3. A quality marked by immaturity and an absence of grown-up judgment

Etymology: "Vernility" is a noun built from "vernile" plus the English suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The adjective "vernile" comes from Latin "vernilis," meaning "of a household slave" or "servile," and the Latin root is "verna," a home-born slave, the kind raised within a master's household rather than bought from outside. Latin "vernilitas" gave the abstract quality of being like such a slave. The surprise lies in the core idea. A word about immaturity descends from a word about servitude. The sense moved from the condition of a servant, dependent and lacking independent authority, to the childish lack of sound judgment that the English noun names. Note that "vernile" and "vernility" are rare, so the path from Latin to this modern sense is not one most readers would trace easily.