Effete
/ɪˈfiːt/noun
Exhausted, worn out, or lacking vitality; also overly refined or decadent.
Did you know?Latin effētus meant not just “worn out” but specifically “having brought forth, exhausted by bearing young,” a visceral fertility image that later evolved into the modern sense of decadent exhaustion.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
effētus
“worn out, exhausted; originally, having brought forth offspring”
Late Latin
Latin
effētus
“spent, drained, no longer productive”
14th Century
Anglo-French
effete
“exhausted, spent”
16th Century
English
effete
“barren, sterile, worn out”
Modern English
English
effete
“exhausted, decadent, or overrefined”
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