austerity

austerity
austerity (n.) mid-14c., "sternness, harshness," from O.Fr. austerite "harshness, cruelty" (14c.) and directly from L.L. austeritatem (nom. austeritas), from austerus (see AUSTERE (Cf. austere)). Of severe self-discipline, from 1580s; hence "severe simplicity" (1875); applied during World War II to national policies limiting non-essentials as a wartime economy.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • austerity — aus‧ter‧i‧ty [ɔːˈsterti, ɒ ǁ ɒː ] noun [uncountable] ECONOMICS bad economic conditions in which people do not have much money to spend: • her childhood memories of war time austerity * * * austerity UK US /ɒsˈterəti/ noun [U] ► ECONOMICS,… …   Financial and business terms

  • Austerity — Aus*ter i*ty, n.; pl. {Austerities}. [F. aust[ e]rit[ e], L. austerias, fr. austerus. See {Austere}.] 1. Sourness and harshness to the taste. [Obs.] Horsley. [1913 Webster] 2. Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • austerity — [n1] severity acerbity, asperity, astringence, coldness, exactingness, exactness, formality, formalness, gravity, grimness, hardness, harshness, inclemency, inflexibility, obduracy, rigidity, rigor, seriousness, solemnity, sternness, stiffness,… …   New thesaurus

  • austerity — I noun abstemiousness, austeritas, bare subsistence, chariness, closed purse, economicalness, economy, frugality, frugalness, good management, husbandry, lack of luxury, meagerness, scantiness, scrimping, self denial, self restraint, severe… …   Law dictionary

  • austerity — /ɔ: steriti/, it. /au stɛriti/ s. ingl. (propr. austerità ) usato in ital. al femm. (econ., polit.) [assol., regime di restrizione delle spese statali e dei consumi privati: un periodo di a. ] ▶◀ austerità, economia, risparmio. ◀▶ consumismo,… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • austerity — /ausˈtɛriti, ingl. Hːˈstɛrɪtɪ/ [vc. ingl., dal fr. austérité, dal lat. austeritāte(m) «austerità»] s. f. inv. austerità, restrizione …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • austerity — [ô ster′ə tē] n. pl. austerities 1. the quality or condition of being austere 2. an austere act, habit, practice, or manner 3. tightened economy, as because of shortages of consumer goods …   English World dictionary

  • Austerity — In economics, austerity is when a national government reduces its spending in order to pay back creditors. Austerity is usually required when a government s fiscal deficit spending is felt to be unsustainable. Development projects, welfare… …   Wikipedia

  • austerity — aus|ter|i|ty [o:ˈsterıti, ɔ US o: ] n plural austerities 1.) [C usually plural, U] bad economic conditions in which people do not have much money to spend ▪ a time of great austerity after the war ▪ the austerities of post communist Eastern… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • austerity — [[t]ɔːste̱rɪti[/t]] austerities 1) N UNCOUNT: also N in pl, oft N n Austerity is a situation in which people s living standards are reduced because of economic difficulties. ...an economic austerity programme. ...the years of austerity which… …   English dictionary

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