ab-SKOND
The thief absconded with the stolen jewels before anyone noticed.
Fun Fact
“Abscond” comes from the Latin abscondere, meaning “to hide away.” While it’s often used in legal or criminal contexts, it can also describe dramatic escapes in literature or film. Think of a character who vanishes mysteriously or flees after a scandal—they’ve absconded!
par-sih-MOH-nee-us
(adjective) Unwilling to spend money or use resources; extremely frugal to the point of stinginess.
He was so parsimonious that he kept the thermostat at 58 degrees all winter and wore two sweaters instead.
From Latin parsimonia, meaning “frugality” or “thrift,” derived from parcere (“to spare, be sparing”). The word entered English in the 15th century through Old French. Its Latin root is also the ancestor of “sparse” — both words carry the idea of deliberate scarcity.
Fun Fact
“Parsimonious” has a philosophical sibling: Occam’s Razor — the principle that the simplest explanation is usually correct — is sometimes called the “principle of parsimony.” In science, parsimony means elegance and economy of explanation, which is considered a virtue. So the same word that describes a miser hoarding his pennies also describes one of the most respected principles in logic and scientific reasoning — the idea that less, truly, is more.
Today's Word Parsimonious par-sih-MOH-nee-us Definition (adjective) Unwilling to spend money...
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Read MoreToday's Word Capricious kuh-PRISH-us Definition (adjective) Given to sudden and...
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