Ludicrosity

Katie, of Constrained Vision fame, observes: "I still occasionally enjoy the schmaltzy ludicrosity of a chick flick."

Oh, yeah. Bring it. "Ludicrosity"!

[geek on]

Entirely apart from the context, I am jazzed over this word for two reasons. First, though it is seldom used, it is based on a common root word, so the reader can immediately deduce its meaning without ever having seen it before. This is a great way to extend the language to obtain a different part of speech or a different meaning. I like it even more when the etymological origins of the modifying suffix or prefix match those of the root.

Katie could have said "ludicrousness," for instance, for which the Oxford English Dictionary offers numerous precedents, but that is one ugly concoction. It's ugly because "ludicrous" is of Latin origin, whereas the suffix "ness" is Germanic/Gothic. The two go together like garlic and ice-cream. But since "ity" is also of Latin origin, "ludicrosity" is elegant and seamless. I give the nod to "concision" over "conciseness" for the same reason.

[/geek]