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What makes the DDG !bang system awesome is its enormity.

Please don't tell me it's evil.

I believe you meant "scope", "scale", or "size".



> Usage note

> 3. Enormity has been in frequent and continuous use in the sense “immensity” since the 18th century: The enormity of the task was overwhelming. Some hold that enormousness is the correct word in that sense and that enormity can only mean “outrageousness” or “atrociousness”: The enormity of his offenses appalled the public.


>Please don't tell me it's evil.

I am a little confused by your comment - has the word "enormous" come to mean "evil"? If so, maybe this new came about from people referring to the "enormity of a crime". It seems to have followed a similar etymological evolution to the word "gross" as in "gross depravity". But both words just mean "big".


The word "enormity" means generally "evil": The state or quality of exceeding a measure or rule, or of being immoderate, monstrous, or outrageous. (1913 Webster).

It's not a general synonym for "enormous" or "having vast size", except by confusion.


Wow. Maybe it is an American English usage. In British English "enormous" is always used as a synonym for "huge", never for "evil". In fact, a quick google of the word revealed the former usage to be the more prevalent one. For instance, there is a famous children's story called "The enormous turnip" (adapted from a story by Tolstoy).

http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/Enormous-Turnip/Katie-Dayne...

Obviously, the children's story uses "enormous" to imply that the turnip is very large, not very wicked. Somehow "the dastardly rutabaga" or "the heinous swede" makes a lot less sense in this context.

Edit: Admission - I used DDG (my default search engine), not google.


That's not what he's saying; he's saying that "enormity" isn't a synonym for "enormousness".


Enormity has a neutral use as well.




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