Word: alacrity
Pronunciation: ə-LA-krə-tee
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: brisk and cheerful readiness
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Today’s Word of the Week was suggested by Mike from M.C. Tuggle, Writer. He claims it’s a word he’s had to look up more than once, and I agree that I’d probably have to look it up every time I read it too. “Alacrity” is not a word I’ve read very often myself, but knowing what it means, I think it could definitely add a cheery note to a story!
To show “alacrity” is to be briskly and cheerfully ready for something. The word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin noun alacritas, meaning “cheerfulness”. This noun stems from the adjective alacer, which means “brisk” or “ready”.
Not being overly familiar with the word “alacrity”, I have yet to work it into my fiction. If I were to use it, it would probably be to show a character’s high level of enthusiasm when setting a goal or preparing to carry out a task. If nothing else, it’s a great word for people who are just ready to get up and go for it! So what are you waiting for? Take on that novel or other unfinished goal with “alacrity”! It’ll make the journey all the more enjoyable!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
Where’d this come from:
Pronunciation: ə-LA-krə-dee
Shouldn’t that be ə-LA-krə-tee?
Sorry about that; I seem to have mistakenly cited Oxford’s American English dictionary instead of the proper British one. Thanks for pointing that out!
I like this word a lot. It sounds just like its meaning – brisk and cheerfully ready for work. The beginning is the same as the beginning ‘alert’. I wonder if this ‘al’ beginning links these words to ‘alawys’. Just wondering…
I like this word too! I’m not sure if all these words are connected by the same “al-” root, but it’s fun to think how so many words can have a common origin! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Nice – this is a word I always see but never seem to get right. Great feature!
Thanks! Glad you liked the post! Thanks for reading! 🙂