Word of the Day: Enormity
Yes, it can mean 'enormous', but only in a subtle way.
noun
enor·mi·ty i-ˈnȯr-mə-tē
plural enormities
1: an outrageous, improper, vicious, or immoral act
the enormities of state power | Susan Sontag
other enormities too juvenile to mention | Richard Freedman
2: the quality or state of being immoderate, monstrous, or outrageous
especially : great wickedness
the enormity of the crimes committed during the Third Reich | G. A. Craig
3: the quality or state of being huge : immensity
the inconceivable enormity of the universe
4: a quality of momentous importance or impact
the enormity of the decision
Enormity vs. Enormousness: Usage Guide
Enormity, some people insist, is improperly used to denote large size. They insist on enormousness for this meaning, and would limit enormity to the meaning "great wickedness." Those who urge such a limitation may not recognize the subtlety with which enormity is actually used. It regularly denotes a considerable departure from the expected or normal.
they awakened; they sat up; and then the enormity of their situation burst upon them. "How did the fire start?"—John Steinbeck
When used to denote large size, either literal or figurative, it usually suggests something so large as to seem overwhelming
no intermediate zone of study. Either the enormity of the desert or the sight of a tiny flower | Paul Theroux
the enormity of the task of teachers in slum schools | J. B. Conant
and may even be used to suggest both great size and deviation from morality.
the enormity of existing stockpiles of atomic weapons | New Republic
It can also emphasize the momentousness of what has happened
the sombre enormity of the Russian Revolution | George Steiner
or of its consequences.
perceived as no one in the family could the enormity of the misfortune | E. L. Doctorow
O winged Lady,
Like a bird
You scavenge the land.
Like a charging storm
You charge,
Like a roaring storm
You roar,
You thunder in thunder,
Snort in rampaging winds.
Your feet are continually restless.
Carrying your harp of sighs,
You breathe out the music of mourning.— from “Hymn to Inanna” by Enheduanna,
translated from the Sumerian by Jane Hirshfield…
One risks angering the gods if one visits an oracle empty-handed. When I rang the Camberwell, South London, doorbell of Florence Welch, I held a tribute: “The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse” (2022), edited by Kaveh Akbar. It has a poem in it by Enheduanna, the first named poet in written historical records, a Sumerian princess and priestess who lived over 4,000 years ago. Ancient priestesses made their bodies a conduit for collective transcendence and, now that the old gods have abandoned us, we secular souls tend to find our collective transcendence at concerts. I’ve never seen Welch’s band, Florence and the Machine, perform live, only on YouTube, I’ve only heard her music streaming on repeat for years, and yet I often find myself carried out of my body by Welch’s enormous voice, her rage and power. There’s a sizzling line that starts with Enheduanna and runs all the way to Welch; they’re both performers of spiritual enormity who, through incantation of words, open a channel to vast mysteries.
| Lauren Groff, Florence!