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
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