importunity
English
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importunity
- /ˌɪmpəˈtjuːnɪti/ UK
- /-pɔː-/ UK
- /-t͡ʃuː-/ UK
- /ˌɪmpəɹˈt(j)unɪti/ US
- /-poɹ-/ US
- [-ɾi] US
Rhymes with -uːnɪti
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English importunitie, importunyte (“insistence, persistence; grievance; hardship, trouble; inappropriateness (?)”), from Anglo-Norman importunité, and Middle French importunité (“persistent demand; hardship, trouble; something difficult or troublesome; inappropriateness”) (modern French importunité), and their etymon Latin importūnitās (“insolence, rudeness; oppressiveness, relentlessness; unfitness, unsuitableness”), from importūnus (“annoying; rude; inconvenient; unsuitable”) + -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns denoting states of being).
Importūnus is derived from im- (a variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + portus (“harbour, port; haven, refuge”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pértus (“crossing”), from *per- (“to carry forth, fare; to dare, try; to go through;”)) + -nus (suffix forming adjectives).
By surface analysis, importune + -ity (suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives, referring to the state of conforming to what the adjectives describe).
noun importunities
- Constant and insistent demanding or proposing, especially if regarded as annoying or upsetting; also, the character of such behaviour; (countable) an instance of this. And he [Jesus] ſayde vnto thẽ [them]: which of you ſhall have a frende and ſhall goo to hym att mydnyght⸝ and ſaye vnto hym: frende lende me foure loves for a frende of myne is come out off the waye to me⸝ and I have nothynge to ſett before hĩ [him]⸝ And he within ſhall andſwer and ſaye: Trouble me
- The fact of being at an inappropriate or unsuitable time; unseasonableness. Speake not, where there is no audyence: and poure not forth wyſzdome out of tyme, at an importunyte.
- Persistence in behaviour; determination, perseverance, stubbornness. I beſech the [thee] with what colours coude more workmanly haue be paynteth and ſet out eyther venymous entycementes and wanton pleaſures of the poyſoned fleſſhe⸝ prouokyng ⁊ temptynge the ſoule to fylthynes of ſynne⸝ or elſe the importunytye of the ſame cryenge and ſtryuyng agaynſt the ſpiryte⸝ or
- The quality of being annoying or troublesome; difficulty, trouble; (countable) an instance of this. [V]ery often the Importunity and Violence of the Cough vvas to be appeaſed by Elixir Aſthmaticum, Diacodium, &c.
Translations
Every language
noun constant and insistent demanding or proposing, especially if regarded as annoying or upsetting; the character of such behaviour; an instance of this
| Español | importunidad |
|---|---|
| Português | importunidade |
| Français | importunité |
| Deutsch | Aufdringlichkeit, ständiges Bedrängen |
| Italiano | importunità |
| Русский | насты́рность nastýrnostʹ, назо́йливость nazójlivostʹ |
Talk about this word "importunity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/importunity. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. importunity. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/importunity "importunity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/importunity.Cite this
@misc{importunity_2026,
title = {importunity},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/importunity},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
