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English word origin

Etymology of arity

From -ary (taken from unary/binary/ternary [function/operator]) + -ity. Compare adicity and adinity.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

The number of arguments or operands a function or operation takes. For a relation, the number of domains in the corresponding Cartesian product. · The maximum number of child nodes that any node in a given tree (data structure) may have. · the number of arguments (in Lojban grammar called sumti) specified in the definition of a selbri. (the selbri combined with the sumti make up a bridi).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From -ary (taken from unary/binary/ternary [function/operator]) + -ity. Compare adicity and adinity.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Word-formation component-ityen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "affix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-ity"
      },
      "expansion": "-ity"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-ary",
      "-ary#English"
    ],
    [
      "unary",
      "unary#English"
    ],
    [
      "binary",
      "binary#English"
    ],
    [
      "ternary",
      "ternary#English"
    ],
    [
      "[function",
      "Unsupported titles/`lsqb`function#English"
    ],
    [
      "operator",
      "operator#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ity",
      "-ity#English"
    ],
    [
      "adicity",
      "adicity#English"
    ],
    [
      "adinity",
      "adinity#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The number of arguments or operands a function or operation takes. For a relation, the number of domains in the corresponding Cartesian product.",
        "The maximum number of child nodes that any node in a given tree (data structure) may have.",
        "the number of arguments (in Lojban grammar called sumti) specified in the definition of a selbri. (the selbri combined with the sumti make up a bridi)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "Lojban"
      ],
      "recordId": "3947e3c07bf1f864ca23a1afb87d766398c6a2c42e7f4e70d7ad435cc1bbcbf3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "05849d1d1b4441878df015c0552c3b3ec56a224bcb300b360f0e171d9872507a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 123427
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for arity →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXJpdHk