Word of the Day

Sunday, March 05, 2000

parsimony

\PAHR-suh-moe-nee\ , noun;

Closeness or sparingness in the expenditure of money; -- generally in a bad sense; excessive frugality.

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Quotes:

He never spent more than was necessary on anything; but his economy was a sign not of parsimony but of an almost instinctive sense of measure.

-- Howard Pollack, Aaron Copland :The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man

I came very close to buying four delicate Lake chairs with needlework seats for $395 before parsimony got the better of me.

-- Susan Spano, "Roaming Columbia County", New York Times, August 31, 1997

Vanguard must spend a lot of money on printing and mailing its statements, because of the extra paper involved. Undoubtedly, that was a tough decision for the company, which is known for its parsimony.

-- Eric Hubler, "My Account Statement Is Better Than Yours", New York Times, January 10, 1999

Origin:

Parsimony comes from Latin from Latin parsimonia, from parsus, past participle of parcere, to spare + the suffix -monia. One who exhibits parsimony is parsimonious.