barbarity

the word barbarity traces its lineage to the ancient greek term barbaros, an onomatopoeic word mimicking the sound of unintelligible foreign speech, which the greeks perceived as "bar-bar." this term carried a strong connotation of being uncivilized and non-hellenic. borrowed into latin as barbarus, it retained these meanings of foreignness and rudeness. the suffix -ity, from latin -itas, was added to form a noun denoting the abstract state or quality. thus, barbarity evolved from a literal descriptor of linguistic foreignness to an abstract noun signifying the quintessential state of being cruel and uncivilized.

Structure: barbar (foreign, uncivilized) + ity (state or quality) barbar (from greek barbaros, meaning foreign, non-greek, uncivilized); ity (from latin -itas, a suffix forming nouns indicating a state or condition).