Also 6 verbositee, 6–7 -tie. [a. F. verbosité (16th cent.), or ad. L. (post-classical) verbōsitas, f. verbōsus VERBOSE a. Cf. It. verbosità, Sp. verbosidad, Pg. -idade.] The state or quality of being verbose; superfluity of words; wordiness, prolixity.
1542. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 74 b. Diogenes noted Plato of unmesurable verbositee.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., V. i. 18. He draweth out the thred of his verbositie, finer then the staple of his argument.
a. 1610. Healey, Theophrastus (1636), 29. Seeking the like occasions of pratling and verbosity.
1649. Milton, Eikon., ix. Wks. 1851, III. 397. It were an endless work to walk side by side with the Verbosity of this Chapter.
a. 1680. Butler, Rem. (1759), I. 373. But O! the Verbosity of thy Writings!
1781. Mme. D’Arblay, Diary, May. He gave his opinion … with an emptiness and verbosity, that rendered the whole dispute … ridiculous.
1837. Hallam, Hist. Lit., I. ii. § 31. Vitello, avoiding the tediousness of Arabian verbosity, is far more readable than Alhazen.
1898. J. E. C. Bodley, France, II. III. iv. 197. A high standard of style is a check on rash verbosity.
b. With pl. An instance of this.
1665. Glanvill, Scepsis Sci., 116. These Verbosities emasculate the understanding, and render it slight and frivolous.
