Word of the Day Archive
Thursday August 4, 2005
parsimonious \par-suh-MOH-nee-uhs\ , adjective:
Sparing in expenditure; frugal to excess.
His mother became increasingly parsimonious over the years, and even if there were a good doctor around she did not like to pay one.
-- Willard Sterne Randall, George Washington: A Life
Lehmann was famously parsimonious, and used postwar shortages as a cover for his economies.
-- John Richardson, The Sorcerer's Apprentice
He was extremely parsimonious with his words, parceling them out softly in a deliberate monotone as if each were a precious gem never to be squandered.
-- Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson, Crystal Fire
Parsimonious is the adjective form of parsimony, from Latin parsimonia, "thrift, parsimony," from parsus, past participle of parcere, "to spare, to be sparing, to economize."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for parsimonious
