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frugal: msg#00028culture.language.word-of-the-day
**************************************************************** The Web's biggest language site is getting bigger! Check out the new features in Merriam-Webster Unabridged with a free preview today! http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged_sub.pl?refr=U_wod **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for September 29 is: frugal \FROO-gul\ adjective : characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources Example sentence: Mary's friends knew her as a frugal woman who cut coupons to save pennies, so they were shocked when she suddenly purchased an extravagantly expensive car. Did you know? Someone who is frugal is unwilling to (lavishly) enjoy the fruits of their labors, so it may surprise you to learn that "frugal" ultimately derives from the Latin "frux," meaning "fruit" or "value," and is even a distant cousin of the Latin word for "enjoy" ("frui"). The connection between fruit/value and restraint was first made in Latin; the Middle French word that English speakers eventually adopted as "frugal" came from the Latin adjective "frugalis," a "frux" descendant meaning "virtuous" or "frugal." Although English speakers adopted "frugal" in the late 16th century, they were already lavishly supplied with words for the concept, including the 14th-century coinages "sparing" and "thrifty." |
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