profligate

English

WOTD – 13 October 2007

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin prōflīgātus (“wretched, abandoned”), participle of prōflīgō (“strike down, cast down”), from pro (“forward”) + fligere (“to strike, dash”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒflɪɡət/
• enPR: prŏʹflĭgət, IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑːflɪɡət/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒflɪɡeɪt/
• enPR: prŏʹflĭgāt, IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑːflɪɡeɪt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

profligate (comparative more profligate, superlative most profligate)

1. Inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly.
   • 2013, Ben Smith, "[1]", BBC Sport, 19 October 2013:

     Jay Rodriguez headed over and Dani Osvaldo might have done better with only David De Gea to beat and, as Southampton bordered on the profligate, United were far more ruthless.

2. Immoral; abandoned to vice.
   • (Can we date this quote by Roscommon and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     a race more profligate than we

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Made prostitute and profligate muse.

3. (obsolete) Overthrown, ruined.
   • (Can we date this quote by Hudibras and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The foe is profligate, and run.

Synonyms

• (inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly): extravagant, wasteful, prodigal
• (immoral, abandoned to vice): immoral, licentious
• See also Thesaurus:prodigal

Derived terms

• profligateness

Translations

inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly

• Finnish: tuhlaavainen
• German: verschwenderisch (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἄσωτος (ásōtos)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: tékozló (hu)
• Italian: dissoluto (it) m
• Maori: rukeruke, whiuwhiu, ngutuhore
• Russian: неэконо́мный (ru) (neekonómnyj), расточи́тельный (ru) (rastočítelʹnyj)

immoral; abandoned to vice

• Armenian: անառակ (hy) (anaṙak)
• Dutch: losbandig (nl)
• Finnish: paheellinen (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἄσωτος (ásōtos)

• Hungarian: erkölcstelen (hu), feslett (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: dissoluto (it) m
• Russian: распу́тный (ru) (raspútnyj), развра́тный (ru) (razvrátnyj)
• Spanish: inmoral (es)

• Norman: ^{(please verify)} putachi (Jersey)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Noun

profligate (plural profligates)

1. An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.
2. An overly wasteful or extravagant individual.

Synonyms

• (overly wasteful or extravagant individual): wastrel
• See also Thesaurus:spendthrift and Thesaurus:prodigal

Translations

abandoned person

• Russian: развра́тник (ru) m (razvrátnik), распу́тник (ru) m (raspútnik)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

overly wasteful or extravagant individual

• Russian: расточи́тель (ru) m (rastočítelʹ), транжи́р (ru) m (tranžír), мот (ru) m (mot)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Verb

1. (obsolete) To drive away; to overcome.
   • 1840, Alexander Walker, Woman Physiologically Considered as to Mind, Morals, Marriage, Matrimonial Slavery, Infidelity and Divorce, page 157:

     Such a stipulation would remove one powerful temptation to profligate pennyless seducers, of whom there are too many prowling in the higher circles ;

Synonyms

• (to drive away; to overcome): overcome

Related terms

• profligacy
• profligately
• profligateness
• profligation

Further reading

• “profligate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “profligate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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Latin

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) prōflīgāte

1. vocative masculine singular of prōflīgātus