thrift

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Old Norse þrift (“thriving condition, prosperity”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: thrĭft, IPA: /θɹɪft/, X-SAMPA: /Tr\Ift/
• 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.

   • Spenser

     The rest, […] willing to fall to thrift, prove very good husbands.

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.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

   • Shakespeare

     I have a mind presages me such thrift.

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

Antonyms

• spendthrift

Derived terms

• thrifty
• thrift shop
• thrift store

Translations

characteristic of using a minimum of something

• Czech: spořivost (cs) f
• Dutch: zuinigheid (nl) f
• Finnish: säästäväisyys (fi)
• French: parcimonie (fr) f
• Georgian: მომჭირნეობა (ka) (momčirneoba), ყაირათი (ka) (qairat'i)
• German: Sparsamkeit (de) f
• Irish: barainn (ga) f, tábhacht (ga) 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)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nøysomhet (nb)

  Nynorsk: nøysemd (nn)

• Polish: oszczędność (pl) f
• Romanian: cumpătare (ro)
• Russian: бережливость (ru) (berezhlivost') f, экономность (ru) (ekonomnost') f
• Spanish: parsimonia (es) f, parquedad (es) f
• Swedish: sparsamhet (sv)

savings bank

• Dutch: bank (nl) f
• Finnish: säästöpankki (fi)
• German: Sparkasse (de) f
• Japanese: (archaic) 貯蓄銀行 (ja) (ちょちくぎんこう, chochiku ginkō), 銀行 (ja) (ぎんこう, ginkō)

• Serbo-Croatian: штедионица (sh) (štedionica) f
• Swedish: sparbank (sv) c

various plants of the genus Armeria

• Dutch: Armeria (nl), Engels gras (nl) n
• Finnish: laukkaneilikka (fi)
• French: armérie (fr) f
• German: Grasnelke (de) f

• Japanese: 浜簪 (ja) (ハマカンザシ, hama kanzashi), アルメリア (ja) (arumeria)
• Polish: zawciąg (pl) m
• Swedish: trift (sv) c