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thrift

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Thrift
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thrift

  [thrift] ,
Use thrift in a Sentence
–noun
1. economical management; economy; frugality.
2. Also called thrift institution. Banking. a savings and loan association, savings bank, or credit union.
3. Also called sea pink. any alpine and maritime plant belonging to the genus Armeria, of the leadwort family, having pink or white flowers, esp. A. maritima, noted for its vigorous growth.
4. any of various allied plants.
5. vigorous growth, as of a plant.
6. Obsolete. prosperity.
Origin:
1200–50; ME < ON: well being, prosperity; cf. thrive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Thrift
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thrift   (thrĭft)   
n.  

  1. Wise economy in the management of money and other resources; frugality.

  2. Vigorous growth of living things, such as plants.

  3. Any of several densely tufted plants of the genus Armeria, especially A. maritima, having white to pink flower heads with a funnel-shaped scarious calyx.

  4. A savings and loan association, credit union, or savings bank. Also called thrift institution.


[Middle English, prosperity, perhaps from Old Norse, from thrīfask, to thrive; see thrive.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

thrift 
c.1305, "fact or condition of thriving," also "prosperity, savings" (1310), from M.E. thriven "to thrive" (see thrive), possibly infl. by O.N. þrift, variant of þrif "prosperity," from þrifask "to thrive." Sense of "habit of saving, economy" first recorded 1553 (thrifty in this sense is recorded from 1526; also see spendthrift). Thrift shop first attested 1947.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

thrift

A financial institution that derives its funds primarily from consumer savings accounts. The term originally referred to those institutions offering mainly passbook savings accounts. But the industry evolved through financial deregulation to the point where these accounts often provide only a small source of funds for many thrifts. The term often refers to savings and loan associations, but can also mean credit unions and mutual savings banks.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: thrift
Function: noun
: an institution that promotes saving and provides mortgages; especially : SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION called also thrift institution
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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