Alacrity

noun

An enthusiastic preparedness or willingness to do something

Usage

Let's say you had to read and give a report on a Shakespeare play you had never read before. As great as his works are, they're also a bit intimidating. If you were offered the chance to do the report after watching instead of reading it, though, you would probably be not only more comfortable with the project, but even excited. The difference in these approaches is not solely in the presentation, but in the alacrity with which you might accept the second offer.

Alacrity is the feeling of eagerness one experiences in response to a situation. A term used specifically in regards to a person's attitude, alacrity is a demeanor or frame of mind that expresses an upbeat, almost spunky willingness to take on the task at hand or accept the present circumstances. Moreover, when used in the context of taking on a new quest, it suggests an element of boldness, or even optimism, that no challenge you meet along the way can quell. Alacrity is almost defiant in its positivity and enthusiasm to take on one's work. Zealous and unrelenting, alacrity is, above all, optimistic.

Example: As demanding as her assignment was, the student met the project with alacrity.

Example: The key difference the drill sergeant cited between Army Rangers and average recruits was the former's alacrity to face danger.

Origin

Alacrity traces back to Latin roots with "alacritas," which itself came from "alacer," meaning "lively." From there, it entered use in Middle French in the early 1400s in the form of the word "alacrite," which translates to "cheerfulness." The term first began to appear in English in the middle of the 15th century.

Derivative Words

Alacritous: This is the adjective form of alacrity, but with a slight difference in usage. While alacrity is generally used to describe a person or their state of mind, alacritous is more often applied to a person's actions, though it can be applied to people and attitudes as well. In essence, alacritous highlights a specific instance of eagerness, while alacrity implies that one's character is prone to exhibiting that kind of positivity.

Example: When it came time for the class to make their final presentations, Kevin made an alacritous start to his by offering to go first.

In Literature

From Hermann Hesse's Klein und Wagner:

If a bell failed to ring, if a stove smoked, if a wheel on a machine stuck, you knew at once where to look and did so with alacrity; you found the defect and knew how to cure it. But the thing within you, the secret mainspring that alone gave meaning to life, the thing within us that alone is living, alone is capable of feeling pleasure and pain, of craving happiness and experiencing it—that was unknown. You knew nothing about that, nothing at all, and if the mainspring failed there was no cure. Wasn't it insane?

Hesse's speaker is offering a character analysis of the person to whom he is speaking, underscoring the difference in their approach to solving matters of engineering and matters of the human psyche. While the speaker acknowledges the listener's enthusiastic willingness, or alacrity, with which he confronts and diagnoses material problems, he contends that his companion's eagerness and understanding in personal ones are much less robust.

Mnemonic

Alacrity charges right in, like turning on electricity.
With alacrity, one can take on their task with tenacity.