formality
noun/fɔːrˈmælɪti/
Etymology From Middle French formalité. equivalent to formal + -ity.
1
The state of being formal.
- [S]uch an one […] recalls as a vision of Paradise the land he has learnt to love; he exaggerates the insalubrity of a northern climate; he bewails the wretched formality of our civilised life, and so, back to the distant solitudes flies his recollection like a dove to the wilderness.1874, Georg August Schweinfurth, chapter I, in Ellen E. Frewer, transl., The Heart of Africa: Three Years' Travels and Adventures in the Unexplored Regions of Central Africa, from 1868 to 1871, second edition, volume I, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, And Searle, translation of Im Herzen von Afrika, Botanical Ardour:
2
Something said or done as a matter of form.
3
A customary ritual without substance, real consequence, or unique meaning.
- The examination for priesthood is no mere formality, so we have to study well.
4
A specific requirement for obtaining a legal status, conducting a transaction, etc.
- I expected some sort of formality before they let me see the crown—so valuable—but there was really nothing at all. I just said, "Can I see No. 64, please?" and he simply pulled one of the shallow drawers out of its case and put it down before me on the table.1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
- Derived terms
- semiformality