Mediocrity
/ˌmiː.diˈɒk.rɪ.ti/noun
The quality or state of being average or ordinary.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin mediocris, which originally meant being at the “middle height” of a hill or mountain, and only later became a judgment about being merely average.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*medhyo-
“middle”
Latin
Latin
mediocris
“of middle height; moderate; ordinary”
Latin
Latin
mediocritas
“moderation; average condition”
Late Middle English
English
mediocrite
“moderation; average state”
Modern English
English
mediocrity
“the condition of being ordinary or average”