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adjective
1.
lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent: an effete, overrefined society.
2.
exhausted of vigor or energy; worn out: an effete political force.
3.
unable to produce; sterile.
Origin:
1615–25; < Latin effēta exhausted from bearing, equivalent to ef- ef- + fēta having brought forth, feminine past participle of lost v.; see fetus
1615–25; < Latin effēta exhausted from bearing, equivalent to ef- ef- + fēta having brought forth, feminine past participle of lost v.; see fetus
Related forms
ef·fete·ly, adverb
ef·fete·ness, noun
non·ef·fete, adjective
non·ef·fete·ly, adverb
non·ef·fete·ness, noun
EXPANDSynonyms
2. enervated, debilitated.
2. enervated, debilitated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Effete
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Example Sentences
- Christie does not come across as either an effete intellectual or an overbred aristocrat.
- How hopelessly effete and elitist an intellectual approach becomes in such a setting.
- But then they have proved in recent times to be totally effete and incompetent.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
effete
1621, from L. effetus (usually in fem. effeta) "unproductive, worn out (with bearing offspring)" lit. "that has given birth," from ex- "out" + fetus "childbearing, offspring" (see fetus). Sense of "exhausted" is 1662; that of "morally exhausted" (1790) led to "decadent" (19c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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