monstrosity

English

Alternative forms

• monstruosity (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English monstruosite, from Middle French monstruosité and its etymon Late Latin mōnstruōsitās, mōnstrōsitās (“monstrousness”), from Latin mōnstruōsus, mōnstrōsus; by surface analysis, monstrous +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /mɒnˈstɹɒsɪti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒsɪti

Noun

monstrosity (plural monstrosities)

1. An organism showing abnormal development or deformity.

   Synonym: monster

   • 1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Variation under Domestication”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 8:

     Geoffroy St. Hilaire's experiments show that unnatural treatment of the embryo causes monstrosities; and monstrosities cannot be separated by any clear line of distinction from mere variations.

2. A monstrous person, thing, or act.

   Synonym: monster

   • 2023 March 22, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Grand buildings on the list... and lost”, in RAIL, number 979, page 51:

     St Enoch Centre (1989) - a glass-domed monstrosity of a shopping centre - stands on the site of the station today.

3. The state of being monstrous.

   Synonym: monstrousness

Translations

Monstrous thing, person or act

• Afrikaans: gedrog (af)
• Albanian: gjë e shëmtuar
• Danish: skrummel
• Dutch: wangedrocht (nl)
• Esperanto: monstraĵo, abomenaĵo
• Finnish: hirvitys (fi), rumilus (fi)
• French: monstruosité (fr) f
• Galician: monstruosidade (gl) f
• German: Monstrosität (de) f, Monstrum (de) n, Ungeheuer (de) n
• Greek: τερατούργημα (el) (teratoúrgima)
• Hebrew: מפלצתיות
• Japanese: 怪異 (ja) (kaii)
• Norwegian: uhyrlighet
• Persian: هیولایی sg (hayulāyi)
• Portuguese: monstruosidade (pt) f
• Romanian: monstruozitate (ro) f
• Russian: чудо́вище (ru) n (čudóvišče)
• Spanish: monstruosidad (es) f
• Ukrainian: жахливість (žaxlyvistʹ)

State of being monstrous

• Bulgarian: чудовищност f (čudovištnost)
• Dutch: monstruositeit (nl) m, misvorming (nl) m, wanstaltigheid m
• Finnish: hirviömäisyys
• French: monstruosité (fr) f
• Galician: monstruosidade (gl) f
• German: Ungeheuerlichkeit (de) f, Monstrosität (de) f
• Irish: anchúinseacht f
• Persian: هیولایی sg (hayulāyi)
• Portuguese: monstruosidade (pt) f
• Russian: чудо́вищность (ru) f (čudóviščnostʹ)
• Spanish: monstruosidad (es) f