Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Austerity \Aus*ter"i*ty\, n.; pl. {Austerities}. [F.
   aust['e]rit['e], 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.