entirety

American  

[en-tahyuhr-tee, -tahy-ri-] / ɛnˈtaɪər ti, -ˈtaɪ rɪ- /

noun

entireties plural

1. the state of being entire; completeness.

   Homer's Iliad is rarely read in its entirety.

2. something that is entire; the whole.

   He devoted the entirety of his life to medical research.

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entirety British  

/ ɪnˈtaɪərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being entire or whole; completeness

2. a thing, sum, amount, etc, that is entire; whole; total

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• entireties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of entirety

1300–50; Middle English enter ( e ) te < Middle French entierete < Latin integritāt- (stem of integritās ). See integer, -ity

Explanation

The noun entirety describes something that is total or complete, like when you eat a pizza in its entirety, leaving not even one slice for other people. The noun entirety comes from the Latin word integritas, meaning “untouched” or “whole.” If a televised football game goes long, the announcers might say, "Your local news will air in its entirely after the game." That means the news will be its normal length, not shortened. If you did your assigned reading in its entirety, it means you completed it, reading every page, not just skipping around.