activity

[ ak-tiv-i-tee ]

noun

, plural ac·tiv·i·ties.

1. the state or quality of being active:

   There was not much activity in the stock market today. He doesn't have enough physical activity in his life.

2. a specific deed, action, function, or sphere of action:

   social activities.

3. work, especially in elementary grades at school, that involves direct experience by the student rather than textbook study.
4. energetic activity; animation; liveliness.
5. a use of energy or force; an active movement or operation.
6. normal mental or bodily power, function, or process.
7. Physical Chemistry. the capacity of a substance to react, corrected for the loss of reactivity due to the interaction of its constituents.
8. Physics.
   1. the number of atoms of a radioactive substance that disintegrate per unit of time, usually expressed in curies.
   2. radioactivity.
9. an organizational unit or the function it performs.

activity

/ ækˈtɪvɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being active
2. lively action or movement
3. any specific deed, action, pursuit, etc

   recreational activities

4. the number of disintegrations of a radioactive substance in a given unit of time, usually expressed in curies or disintegrations per second
5. 1. the capacity of a substance to undergo chemical change
   2. the effective concentration of a substance in a chemical system. The absolute activity of a substance B, λ B , is defined as exp (μ B RT ) where μ B is the chemical potential

Other Words From

• non·ac·tiv·i·ty noun plural nonactivities
• pre·ac·tiv·i·ty noun plural preactivities
• su·per·ac·tiv·i·ty noun plural superactivities

Word History and Origins

Origin of activity¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French or directly from Medieval Latin āctīvitās; active, -ity

Example Sentences

He is expected to conduct "very little public-facing activity" before leaving the post, the statement said, adding that he "plans to honour a small number of remaining commitments".

From BBC

Trump has said there's no price tag so there is already a tremendous amount of activity taking place in the private sector, with private prison and airplane businesses gearing up for some major government contracts.

From Salon

The FAW asked families to report any "potential illegal activity to police in the first instance", but also encouraged them to get in touch for support.

From BBC

However, messages coming down from the pons actually inhibit activity in the medulla, leading breathing rates to slow down.

From Science Daily

But the team also observed brain activity in regions that associate sounds with symbolic meaning.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• act
• endeavor
• enterprise
• job
• project
• scheme
• task
• venture
• work