Aus‐ter″i‐ty (�), n.; pl.Austerities (�). [F. austérité, L. austerias, fr. austerus. See Austere.] 1. Sourness and harshness to the taste. 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.