Austerity
/ɔːˈstɛrɪti/noun
Severe self-discipline, especially in lifestyle or spending.
Did you know?Its deepest ancestor is the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ews-*, meaning “dry” or “to dry,” which also gave English words like “austere” and “August.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ews-
“to dry; dry”
Ancient Greek
Greek
αὐστηρός (austērós)
“harsh, severe, strict; literally dry, rough”
Latin
Latin
austerus
“harsh, severe, sour”
Late Latin
Latin
austeritas
“harshness, severity, strictness”
Middle English
English
austerite
“severity; strictness of life”
Modern English
English
austerity
“severe self-discipline, especially in lifestyle or spending”