English
frugal
Frugal comes from Latin frugalis ‘virtuous, thrifty’, from frūx ‘produce, crop, fruit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰruHg-‘fruit’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frūks‘produce, fruit’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrūxas frūgēs‘produce, crop, fruit’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrugalis‘virtuous, thrifty’
- Englishearliest quotation 1762frugal
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰruHg-‘fruit’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*frūks‘produce, fruit’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrūxas frūgēs‘produce, crop, fruit’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrugalis‘virtuous, thrifty’
- Englishearliest quotation 1762frugal
Earliest quotation: 1762, Oliver Goldsmith, The Citizen of the World: “[…] a frugal meal, which consisted of roots and…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg- ‘fruit’
Today it means
adj Careful or wise in expenditure; avoiding waste.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg- / frugal