parsimony

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: par=si=mo=ny

CIDE DICTIONARY

parsimony, n. [L. parsimonia, parcimonia; cf. parcere to spare, parsus sparing: cf. F. parcimonie.].

 Closeness or sparingness in the expenditure of money; -- generally in a bad sense; excessive frugality; niggardliness.  Bacon.  [1913 Webster]
"Awful parsimony presided generally at the table."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Economy; frugality; illiberality; covetousness; closeness; stinginess. See Economy.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

parsimony, n.
1 carefulness in the use of money or other resources.
2 meanness, stinginess.

Idiom

law of parsimony the assertion that no more causes or forces should be assumed than are necessary to account for the facts.

Derivative

parsimonious adj. parsimoniously adv. parsimoniousness n.

Etymology

ME f. L parsimonia, parcimonia f. parcere pars- spare

THESAURUS

parsimony

Lenten fare, austerity, austerity program, canniness, care, carefulness, chariness, economic planning, economicalness, economy, economy of means, exiguity, exiguousness, false economy, forehandedness, frugality, frugalness, good management, husbandry, jejuneness, jejunity, leanness, management, meagerness, meanness, miserliness, narrowness, niggardliness, paltriness, parsimoniousness, providence, prudence, prudential administration, puniness, scantiness, scantness, scrawniness, scrimpiness, skimpiness, slenderness, slightness, slim pickings, slimness, smallness, spareness, sparingness, stinginess, thinness, thrift, thriftiness, tight purse strings, unwastefulness

ROGET THESAURUS

parsimony

Economy

N economy, frugality, thrift, thriftiness, care, husbandry, good housewifery, savingness, retrenchment, savings, prevention of waste, save-all, cheese parings and candle ends, parsimony, cost-cutting, cost control, economical, frugal, careful, thrifty, saving, chary, spare, sparing, parsimonious, underpaid, sparingly, ne quid nimis, adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit, magnum est vectigal parsimonia.

Parsimony

N parsimony, parcity, parsimoniousness, stinginess, stint, illiberality, tenacity, avarice, greed, miser, niggard, churl, screw, skinflint, crib, codger, muckworm, scrimp, lickpenny, hunks, curmudgeon, Harpagon, harpy, extortioner, Jew, usurer, Hessian, pinch fist, pinch penny, parsimonious, penurious, stingy, miserly, mean, shabby, peddling, scrubby, penny wise, near, niggardly, close, fast handed, close handed, strait handed, close fisted, hard fisted, tight fisted, tight, sparing, chary, grudging, griping, illiberal, ungenerous, churlish, hidebound, sordid, mercenary, venal, covetous, usurious, avaricious, greedy, extortionate, rapacious, with a sparing hand, desunt inopioe multa avaritiae omnia, hoards after hoards his rising raptures fill, the unsunn'd heaps of miser's treasures.