Etymologically
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intensity

Etymology and origin of the English word intensity

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1665
Ultimate origins
Middle French (intense)English (-ity)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English intense
English intensity

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪnˈtɛnsɪti/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English intense + -ity.[2][3][4] The earlier noun was intenseness (1610s).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The quality of being intense, a very high degree: 1665.[5][3]

Semantic evolution

It was originally a scientific term, the amount of energy with which a force operates;[2] the degree or amount of a quality, such as force or energy, is from 1794.[5] Extreme depth of feeling, or its expression, is attested by 1830.[2][5] In photography it meant density from 1855.[5]

Timeline

  • 1610s – intenseness.[2]
  • 1665 – intensity.[5]
  • 1794 – degree or amount.[5]
  • 1830 – depth of feeling.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Great concentration, power or force; the state of being intense.
  2. (physics) The amount of energy, as of light, heat or sound, per unit area or volume.
  3. The strength of a colour; saturation.

Word family

  • overintensity
  • superintensity
  • luminous intensity

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Intensity.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/intensity. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·