ˈkäməd.ē, -ətē, -i noun
( -es )
Etymology: Latin comitat-, comitas, from comis courteous (from Old Latin cosmis, from com- + -smis — akin to Sanskrit smayate he smiles) + -tat-, -tas -ty — more at smile
1. : kindly courteous behavior : friendly civility : mutual consideration between or as if between equals
management should constantly point up every group activity until it actually promotes comity — W.A.Hamor
as
a. : courteous and friendly agreement and interaction between nations
b. : the informal and nonmandatory courtesy sometimes referred to as a set of rules to which the courts of one sovereignty often defer in determining questions (as of jurisdiction or applicable precedent) where the laws or interests of another sovereignty are involved
c. : the custom among Protestant churches of the United States of avoiding direct or indirect proselytizing of one another's members
2. : association especially for common and mutually pleasing purposes
the honorable comity of scholars in Phi Beta Kappa — Key Reporter
a Europe which pretends to have founded its comity upon brotherhood — Weston La Barre