humidity

[ hyoo-mid-i-teeor, often, yoo- ]

noun

1. humid condition; moistness; dampness.
2. relative humidity.
3. an uncomfortably high amount of relative humidity:

   It's not the heat, it's the humidity that tires me out.

humidity

/ hjuːˈmɪdɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being humid; dampness
2. a measure of the amount of moisture in the air See relative humidity absolute humidity

humidity

/ hyo̅o̅-mĭd′ĭ-tē /

1. The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, usually expressed as either absolute humidity or relative humidity.

humidity

1. The amount of water vapor in the air. Humidity is measured in two ways: (1) Absolute humidity is the percentage of water vapor actually present in the air. (2) Relative humidity is the absolute humidity divided by the amount of water that could be present in the air. Relative humidity indicates the degree of comfort or discomfort one feels from the humidity, because it indicates the amount of perspiration that can evaporate from the skin.

Word History and Origins

Origin of humidity¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English humydite, from Latin (h)ūmiditās; equivalent to humid + -ity

Example Sentences

“Tuesday and Wednesday, we have very low humidity and some winds out there,” Walbrun said.

From Los Angeles Times

Winds could reach up to 35 or 45 mph on some high peaks Tuesday and Wednesday as humidity is expected to drop, creating some more challenging conditions, said Ryan Walbrun, a National Weather Service meteorologist assigned to the Mountain fire.

From Los Angeles Times

The Thomas fire, which destroyed over 1,000 structures and burned more than 281,000 acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, also grew under similar circumstances as the Mountain and Woolsey fires: with low humidity, active Santa Ana winds and lots of dry brush in a mixed wildland and urban environment.

From Los Angeles Times

This means extreme precipitation "will be more extreme" and, under some global warming scenarios, heat and humidity could mean some parts of the country "would not be liveable", he says.

From BBC

Light winds coming from the ocean and favorable humidity levels Sunday helped authorities in the effort to contain the fire, which started Wednesday morning amid an extreme Santa Ana wind event.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• evaporation
• moisture