the.com/enmity
Hatred with a backstory — too dignified to be called a grudge.
means A deep, settled hostility between people or groups, rooted in real history rather than a passing mood.
from From Old French enemi/enemistie, tracing back to Latin inimicus — literally 'not' (in-) 'friend' (amicus). So an enemy is, at root, simply an un-friend, and enmity is the state of being one. The spelling drifted from 'enemity' toward 'enmity' over time, smoothing the word but keeping its blunt Latin bones intact.
- root
- from enemy, via Old French enemitie
- vs hostility
- hostility is the mood, enmity is the relationship
- usage
- survives mostly in treaties and Shakespeare
- tone
- implies mutual, settled, almost formal hatred