technicality
a detail or small matter
TRANSLATION
technicality = die Formalität, die Formsache --- GOOGLE INDEX technicality: approximately 3,800,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Their lawsuit was dismissed, but in May this year they won a ruling on a TECHNICALITY to overturn the completed building's approval.
(BBC News)
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A man who pleaded guilty to robbery and kidnapping seven years ago and was sentenced to 22 years was set free yesterday on a TECHNICALITY.
(New York Times)
(BBC News)
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A man who pleaded guilty to robbery and kidnapping seven years ago and was sentenced to 22 years was set free yesterday on a TECHNICALITY.
(New York Times)
Did you
know?
technicality
noun
- a point of law or a small detail of a set of rules, as contrasted with the intent or purpose of the rules
- the specific details or terms belonging to a particular field
(Oxford English Dictionary)
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The term technicality was formed by combining "technical" with the suffix "ity," a suffix meaning "the condition or quality of being," which is used to create abstract nouns from adjectives (e.g. probability, possibility, activity, applicability).
Technical is from the 17th century and stems from techno-, which in turn derives from "tekhnikos," a Greek word for art, skill or craft. Technical originally referred to being skilled in a particular art or subject. In the early 18th century the sense narrowed to having to do with the mechanical arts. Today of course, technical covers a wide range of topics relating to the knowledge, machines or methods used in science and industry.
Apart from technicality, the root word "techno" forms a variety of other terms by adding different suffixes. Following are a few examples:
- technology = the study and knowledge of the practical, especially industrial, use of scientific discoveries. The suffix -logy basically means "the study of" and derives from the Greek -logia, to speak.
- technocracy = a social system or system of government in which people with scientific or technical knowledge have a lot of power and influence. Ocracy is from the ancient Greek suffix kratos, meaning "power, rule." An advocate of technocracy is a "technocrat."
- technophile = one who has a love of or enthusiasm for technology, especially computers and high technology. Phile derives from philia, an ancient Greek word for love that refers to brotherly love, including friendship and affection.
- technophobe = a person who does not like modern technology and does not want to use it. Phobe, which is used to form nouns denoting a person having a fear of a specific thing, is from the Greek phobos (fear).
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SYNONYMS
loophole, minor detail, formality, minor point
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"The contract signing was delayed due to a technicality."
noun
- a point of law or a small detail of a set of rules, as contrasted with the intent or purpose of the rules
- the specific details or terms belonging to a particular field
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
The term technicality was formed by combining "technical" with the suffix "ity," a suffix meaning "the condition or quality of being," which is used to create abstract nouns from adjectives (e.g. probability, possibility, activity, applicability).
Technical is from the 17th century and stems from techno-, which in turn derives from "tekhnikos," a Greek word for art, skill or craft. Technical originally referred to being skilled in a particular art or subject. In the early 18th century the sense narrowed to having to do with the mechanical arts. Today of course, technical covers a wide range of topics relating to the knowledge, machines or methods used in science and industry.
Apart from technicality, the root word "techno" forms a variety of other terms by adding different suffixes. Following are a few examples:
- technology = the study and knowledge of the practical, especially industrial, use of scientific discoveries. The suffix -logy basically means "the study of" and derives from the Greek -logia, to speak.
- technocracy = a social system or system of government in which people with scientific or technical knowledge have a lot of power and influence. Ocracy is from the ancient Greek suffix kratos, meaning "power, rule." An advocate of technocracy is a "technocrat."
- technophile = one who has a love of or enthusiasm for technology, especially computers and high technology. Phile derives from philia, an ancient Greek word for love that refers to brotherly love, including friendship and affection.
- technophobe = a person who does not like modern technology and does not want to use it. Phobe, which is used to form nouns denoting a person having a fear of a specific thing, is from the Greek phobos (fear).
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SYNONYMS
loophole, minor detail, formality, minor point
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"The contract signing was delayed due to a technicality."
