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 (UK):

    (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 .
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

• thrifty
• thrift shop
• thrift store

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), 节俭 (zh) (jiéjiǎn), 節約／节约 (zh) (jiéyuē), 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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 n
• Finnish: laukkaneilikka (fi)
• French: armérie (fr) f
• German: Grasnelke f
• Icelandic: geldingahnappur (is) m, gullintoppa f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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.