Amity comes from the Latin word for "friend," amicus, and is used especially for relationships between political leaders and nations in which goodwill is shown despite differences that might exist between the two parties. Amicus is also the root of the adjectives amiable and amicable.
Recent Examples on the WebLizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, an eight-part dance competition premiering on Amazon, taps into this natural amity between fat women. Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2022 Xi’s first in person with a world leader in nearly two years — is expected to be yet another public display of geopolitical amity between the two powers. Edward Wong, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Feb. 2022 Myles calls on three A’s to help leaders think about belonging: alignment, appreciation, and amity. Kevin Kruse, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2022 His meetings with world leaders at the G7 summit in the U.K. and with NATO allies in Belgium went smoothly, with important issues on the agenda and amity the order of the day. Damon Linker, The Week, 18 June 2021 In an equally surprising step, the White House torched Manchin afterward in a statement bristling with resentment that shattered the amity Biden had sought to cultivate. Kevin Liptak, Phil Mattingly And Kaitlan Collins, CNN, 19 Dec. 2021 He’s one of the few people in any walk of life to have a deep, long-lasting amity with Russell, who guards his privacy and is fiercely dismissive of the social whirl. Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Sep. 2021 This simple act, motivated by compassion and amity, often leads to disaster and heartache. James Berman, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 For others, Baskerville’s name remains a potent symbol of the amity that once subsisted between the U.S. and Iran — and that could yet be revived one day.Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English amyte, amiste, borrowed from Anglo-French amité, amisté (earlier and continental Old French amistet, amistiet), going back to Vulgar Latin *amīcitāt-, *amīcitās, alteration (by substitution of the suffix -itāt-, -tās-ity), of Latin amīcitia, from amīcus "friendly, well-disposed" + -itia, suffix forming nouns from adjectives, extended form of -ia-ia entry 1 — more at amiable