Definition of "severity"

severity

/səˈvɛɹəti/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural severities
1. The state of being severe.
  Quotations
  […] the fear of God whereof ' tis written Keeper : But not the fear of punishment for sinAnd I can see that the uncertainty In which we act is a severity ,A cruelty , amounting to injusticeThat nothing but God's mercy can assuage . […]
  1948, Harold Vinal, Voices‎, numbers 132-136, page 51
2. The degree of something undesirable; badness or seriousness.