Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
frugal - 4 dictionary results

fru⋅gal

[froo-guhl]
–adjective
1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: a frugal manager.
2. entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager; scanty: a frugal meal.

Origin:
1590–1600; < L frūgālis economical, equiv. to frūg- (s. of frūx produce, fruit ) + -ālis -al 1


fru⋅gal⋅i⋅ty, fru⋅gal⋅ness, noun
fru⋅gal⋅ly, adverb


1. thrifty, chary, provident, careful. See economical.
fru·gal   (frōō'gəl)   
adj.  
  1. Practicing or marked by economy, as in the expenditure of money or the use of material resources. See Synonyms at sparing.
  2. Costing little; inexpensive: a frugal lunch.

[Latin frūgālis, virtuous, thrifty, from frūx, frūg-, fruit, virtue.]
fru·gal'i·ty (frōō-gāl'ĭ-tē), fru'gal·ness n., fru'gal·ly adv.

Frugal

Fru"gal\, a. [L. frugalis, fr. frugi, lit., for fruit; hence, fit for food, useful, proper, temperate, the dative of frux, frugis, fruit, akin to E. fruit: cf. F. frugal. See Fruit, n.]

1. Economical in the use or appropriation of resources; not wasteful or lavish; wise in the expenditure or application of force, materials, time, etc.; characterized by frugality; sparing; economical; saving; as, a frugal housekeeper; frugal of time.

I oft admire How Nature, wise and frugal, could commit Such disproportions. --Milton.

2. Obtained by, or appropriate to, economy; as, a frugal fortune. "Frugal fare." --Dryden.
Language Translation for : frugal
Spanish: frugal, económico,
German: sparsam,
Japanese: 質素な

frugal 
1598, from M.Fr. frugal, from L. frugalis, from undeclined adj. frugi "economical, useful, proper," originally dat. of frux (pl. fruges) "fruit, profit, value," related to fructus (see fruit). Sense evolved in L. from "useful" to "profitable" to "economical."
Search another word or see frugal on Thesaurus | Reference