low-activity
|low-ac-ti-vi-ty|
🇺🇸
/ˌloʊ.ækˈtɪvəti/
🇬🇧
/ˌləʊ.ækˈtɪvɪti/
little action
Etymology
'low-activity' originates from Modern English as a compound of the adjective 'low' and the noun 'activity'. 'low' is a native Germanic word, and 'activity' entered English via Old French/Latin.
'activity' comes from Late Latin 'activitas' (from Latin 'activus', related to 'agere' meaning 'to do'), passed into Old French as 'activite' and Middle English as 'activite' before becoming Modern English 'activity'. 'low' is from Old English (from Proto-Germanic roots) and has remained a basic adjective for 'not high' or 'reduced'. The compound 'low-activity' is a modern concatenation used in technical and general contexts.
Initially the elements meant 'not high' ('low') and 'state of doing' ('activity'); combined in Modern English they specifically convey a 'state or quality of having little action or effectiveness'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a state, period, or instance in which activity is low.
After the holiday season there is usually a low-activity period in sales.
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Adjective 1
having or showing a low level of action, movement, or metabolic/chemical/radioactive behavior; not very active.
The reactor produced only a low-activity sample that required minimal shielding.
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Adverb 1
in a manner characterized by low activity (rare; used chiefly in technical or descriptive contexts).
The enzyme reacted low-actively under the given conditions.
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Last updated: 2025/09/29 12:04