Aus*ter"i*ty (&?;), n.; pl. Austerities (&?;). [F. austérité, L. austerias, fr. austerus. See Austere.] 1. Sourness and harshness to the taste. [Obs.] Horsley.

2. Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh discipline.

The austerity of John the Baptist.
Milton.

3. Plainness; freedom from adornment; severe simplicity.

Partly owing to the studied austerity of her dress, and partly to the lack of demonstration in her manners.
Hawthorne.