1 legerity | Definition of legerity

legerity

noun
le·​ger·​i·​ty | \ lÉ™-ˈjer-É™-tÄ“ How to pronounce legerity (audio) , le-, -ˈje-rÉ™-\

Definition of legerity

: alert facile quickness of mind or body

Did You Know?

When "legerity" first appeared in English in 1561, it drew significantly upon the concept of being "light on one's feet," and appropriately so. It is derived from words in Middle and Old French and ultimately Latin that all mean "light in weight." These days, "legerity" can describe a nimbleness of mind as well as of the feet. A cousin of "legerity" in English is legerdemain, meaning "sleight of hand" or "a display of skill or adroitness." "Legerdemain" comes from the French phrase leger de main, meaning "light of hand."

First Known Use of legerity

1590, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for legerity

Middle French legereté, from Old French, lightness, from leger light, from Vulgar Latin *leviarius, from Latin levis — more at light

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Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with legerity