hostility
UK[hɒˈstɪləti]US[hɑˈstɪləti]
n
Unfriendly or aggressive feelings or behavior.
n
Strong opposition or disagreement.
n
Acts of fighting in a war.
Morpheme Breakdown
host
il
ity
host
stranger, enemy
il
pertaining to
ity
state or condition
Etymology
The word hostility traces a direct lineage to the Latin concept of the outsider as a foe. Its core, hostis, originally meant "stranger" in Proto-Indo-European but narrowed in Latin to specifically mean "enemy," reflecting a societal view of the unfamiliar as inherently antagonistic. This root passed into Late Latin as hostilitas, a state of enmity, formed by adding the adjectival suffix -ilis to create hostilis (pertaining to an enemy) and then the abstract noun suffix -itas. English adopted the term via French in the 14th century, preserving the logical progression from the literal "condition of being an enemy" to modern abstractions like unfriendliness, opposition, and warfare.
Analysis
Structure: host (stranger, enemy) + il (pertaining to) + ity (state or condition)
- host: From Latin hostis, meaning "stranger, enemy." In this word, it functions as the core root conveying the sense of enmity.
- il: A variant of the Latin adjectival suffix -ilis (meaning "pertaining to"), used to form adjectives from nouns.
- ity: A noun-forming suffix from Latin -itas, denoting a state, condition, or quality.
Examples
There was a clear note of hostility in his voice.
The negotiations broke down due to mutual hostility and distrust.
The region has a long history of hostility and conflict.