Dissolute
/ˈdɪs.ə.luːt/noun
Lacking moral restraint; characterized by excessive indulgence.
Did you know?Dissolute comes from Latin words meaning “loose apart,” and in English it became a favorite for describing people seen as morally “unfastened” or undone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leu-
“to loosen, split, or untie”
Latin
Latin
solvere
“to loosen, release, pay off, or dissolve”
Latin
Latin
dissolūtus
“loosened apart; lax; morally loose”
Late Middle English
English
dissolute
“morally loose; disordered in conduct”
Modern English
English
dissolute
“indulging in vice or lacking self-restraint”