linguistics - "Enormity" in figurative sense


The word enormity is widely used to mean excess of size, but if somebody talks about the enormity of his achievements he would look foolish.


Why is that so? Does it depend on the tone used, or are there deep linguistic reasons?



Answer



The original meaning of enormity is something which departs from normal standards, in other words something that is ABnormal. Its current, and rather specialised, use is to describe something that is some kind of gross transgression, often in a legal context. However, perhaps because of its similarity to enormous, it started to be used over 200 years ago to mean something very large but, in the words of the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘the use is now regarded as incorrect’. That meaning can perhaps be defended etymologically, but, as you suggest, few people would use it in any kind of figurative sense.


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