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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary
The meaniungs and origin of the words "thrifty" and "spendthrift"
Hello,
I do not understand why the meaning of "spendthrifty" is "to spend wastefully" taking into consideration the word "thrifty" means "to spend economically"
If one breaks the word "spendthrifty" down to its constituent parts it would mean "to spend" (from spend) "to spend economically" (from the meaning of thrifty).
This is obviously not the case as "spendthrifty" means "to spend wastefully".
Can somebody explain this to me, perhaps it is from the origin of the word "thrifty"
Many thanks
Tom Northover
I do not understand why the meaning of "spendthrifty" is "to spend wastefully" taking into consideration the word "thrifty" means "to spend economically"
If one breaks the word "spendthrifty" down to its constituent parts it would mean "to spend" (from spend) "to spend economically" (from the meaning of thrifty).
This is obviously not the case as "spendthrifty" means "to spend wastefully".
Can somebody explain this to me, perhaps it is from the origin of the word "thrifty"
Many thanks
Tom Northover
Top answer
Hello, Tom. 'Spendthrifty' is an old word; today we use ' spendthrift ', the noun and adjective that describes a profligate person. The idea behind the words is that you spend all you have saved or could have saved.
- Hello, Tom.
- 'Spendthrifty' is an old word; today we use ' spendthrift ', the noun and adjective that describes a profligate person.
- The idea behind the words is that you spend all you have saved or could have saved.
- " Replaced earlier 'scattergood''spend-all' (1550s).
- (1570s) and
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1 Answers
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Hello, Tom.
'Spendthrifty' is an old word; today we use 'spendthrift', the noun and adjective that describes a profligate person. The idea behind the words is that you spend all you have saved or could have saved. Here is the On-line Etymological Dictionary's brief entry:
c.1600, from
'Spendthrifty' is an old word; today we use 'spendthrift', the noun and adjective that describes a profligate person. The idea behind the words is that you spend all you have saved or could have saved. Here is the On-line Etymological Dictionary's brief entry:
c.1600, from
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