enormity

the word 'enormity' originates from the latin 'enormis', which itself is a compound of 'e-' (a variant of 'ex-', meaning "out of") and 'norma' (meaning "carpenter's square," hence "rule, standard"). the literal sense was "deviating from the standard rule, irregular, or immense." this dual notion of deviation from a moral norm and immense size was carried into english in the late 15th century. over time, the primary meaning in english shifted from the neutral "immensity" to emphasize the moral deviation, now chiefly denoting the extreme moral seriousness or monstrousness of an act or event, while the sense of "great size" is now often considered a contested usage.

Structure: e (out of) + norm (rule, pattern) + ity (noun suffix) e- (prefix of latin origin, meaning "out of"); norm (root of latin origin, from 'norma' meaning "rule, pattern, standard"); -ity (noun-forming suffix of latin origin, indicating a state or condition).