thrift

See also: Thrift

English

Etymology

From Middle English thrift, thryfte, þrift, from Old Norse þrift (“thriving condition, prosperity”). Equivalent to thrive +‎ -t.

Pronunciation

• enPR: thrĭft, IPA^(key): /θɹɪft/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪft

Wikispecies

Noun

thrift (countable and uncountable, plural thrifts)

1. (uncountable) The characteristic of using a minimum of something (especially money).

   His thrift can be seen in how little the trashman takes from his house.

   • 1596 (date written; published 1633), Edmund Spenser, A Vewe of the Present State of Irelande […], Dublin: […] Societie of Stationers, […], →OCLC; republished as A View of the State of Ireland […] (Ancient Irish Histories), Dublin: […] Society of Stationers, […] Hibernia Press, […] [b]y John Morrison, 1809, →OCLC:

     The rest, […] willing to fall to thrift , as I have seene many souldiers after the service to prove very good husbands

   • 1892, Ambrose Bierce, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians: Holy Terror:

     […] it would appear that before taking this precaution Mr. Bree must have had the thrift to remove a modest competency of the gold […]

2. (countable, US) A savings bank.

   Usually, home mortgages are obtained from thrifts.

3. (countable) Any of various plants of the genus Armeria, particularly Armeria maritima.
4. (obsolete) Success and advance in the acquisition of property; increase of worldly goods; gain; prosperity; profit.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     Bassanio: […] And many Jasons come in quest of her.
     O my Antonio, had I but the means
     To hold a rival place with one of them,
     I have a mind presages me such thrift,
     That I should questionless be fortunate!

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     Hamlet: No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp,
     And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee
     Where thrift may follow fawning.

5. (obsolete) Vigorous growth, as of a plant.

Synonyms

• (characteristic of using a minimum of something): frugality

Antonyms

• spendthrift

Derived terms

• paradox of thrift
• prickly thrift
• thrifty
• thrift shop
• thrift store

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *terp-‎ (0 c, 7 e)

Translations

characteristic of using a minimum of something

• Belarusian: ашча́днасць f (aščádnascʹ), беражлі́васць f (bjeražlívascʹ), ашча́длівасць f (aščádlivascʹ), ашчэ́днасць (aščédnascʹ), збо́рлівасць f (zbórlivascʹ), экано́мнасць f (ekanómnascʹ)
• Bulgarian: спесто́вност (bg) f (spestóvnost), пестели́вост (bg) f (pestelívost), песто́вност (bg) f (pestóvnost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 節儉／节俭 (zh) (jiéjiǎn), 節約／节约 (zh) (jiéyuē)

• Czech: spořivost f
• Danish: sparsommelighed c
• Dutch: zuinigheid (nl) f
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: säästäväisyys (fi)
• French: parcimonie (fr) f, économie (fr) f, épargne (fr) f
• Galician: austeridade (gl), severidade (gl), sobriedade (gl), moderación (gl)
• Georgian: მომჭირნეობა (momč̣irneoba), ყაირათი (q̇airati), დამზოგველობა (damzogveloba), ზომიერება (zomiereba), ეკონომიურობა (eḳonomiuroba)
• German: Sparsamkeit (de) f
• Greek: λιτότητα (el) f (litótita)

  Ancient: φειδωλία f (pheidōlía)

• Hungarian: takarékosság (hu)
• Irish: barainn f, tábhacht f
• Italian: parsimonia (it), frugalità (it), risparmio (it), economia (it)
• Japanese: 倹約 (ja) (けんやく, ken'yaku), 節倹 (ja) (せっけん, sekken)
• Korean: 절약 (ko) (jeoryak), 검약 (geomyak)
• Latin: frūgālitās f, parsimonia f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nøysomhet

  Nynorsk: nøysemd

• Persian: صرفه‌جویی (sarfe-juyi)
• Polish: oszczędność (pl) f
• Portuguese: frugalidade (pt) f, economia (pt) f
• Romanian: cumpătare (ro)
• Russian: бережли́вость (ru) f (berežlívostʹ), эконо́мность (ru) f (ekonómnostʹ)
• Slovak: sporivosť f
• Spanish: parsimonia (es) f, parquedad (es) f, economía (es) f, ahorro (es) m
• Swedish: sparsamhet (sv)
• Turkish: tutumluluk (tr)
• Ukrainian: оща́дливість f (oščádlyvistʹ), оща́дність (uk) f (oščádnistʹ), бережли́вість (uk) f (berežlývistʹ), еконо́мність f (ekonómnistʹ)

savings bank — see savings bank

various plants of the genus Armeria

• Bulgarian: лъжниче n (lǎžniče)
• Dutch: Armeria, Engels gras (nl) n
• Finnish: laukkaneilikka (fi)
• French: armérie (fr) f
• German: Grasnelke (de) f
• Icelandic: geldingahnappur (is) m, gullintoppa f
• Irish: rabhán m
• Japanese: 浜簪 (ハマカンザシ, hama kanzashi), アルメリア (arumeria)
• Polish: zawciąg m
• Swedish: trift c

Verb

thrift (third-person singular simple present thrifts, present participle thrifting, simple past and past participle thrifted)

1. (transitive) To obtain from a thrift shop.
   • 2007, James Bernard Frost, World Leader Pretend, page 152:

     She probably thrifted the T-shirt and shorts. Bought the hiking boots yesterday at Copeland's. She's not much of a hiker, Xerxes thinks.