Dictionary

circumstantiality en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin circumstō Latin circumstāns Latin circumstantia Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English circumstantial Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English circumstantiality From circumstantial + -ity.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Extreme attention to minute or irrelevant detail.
   • Plushkin's list was distinguished by a conciseness of exposition which had led to certain of the items being represented merely by Christian name, patronymic, and a couple of dots; and Sobakevitch's list was remarkable for its amplitude and circumstantiality, in that not a single peasant had such of his peculiar characteristics omitted as that the deceased had been "excellent at joinery," or "sober and ready to pay attention to his work." 1842, Nikolai Gogol, translated by C. J. Hogarth, Dead Souls, chapter 7:
2. (countable) A minor detail or circumstantial matter.
   • There was much discussion at the time, in some of the public journals, upon the possibility of reconciling these incidents with other circumstantialities of the case, supposing that only one man had been concerned in the affair. That there was only one man concerned, seems to be certain. 1854, Thomas De Quincey, Postscript:

Forms

Synonyms

circumstantialness

Translations (1)

ru обстоя́тельность (minute detail)