economic
UK /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/ · US /ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms economics economick œconomic œconomick
- adjective Pertaining to an economy.
- adjective Frugal; cheap (in the sense of representing good value); economical.
- adjective Pertaining to the study of money and its movement.
- adjective (obsolete) Pertaining to the management of a household
- noun (uncountable) The art or science of household management, especially relating to the appropriate organization of resources; housekeeping.
- noun (rare) One who is skilled in household management.
- noun (Christianity, historical) One who manages the income of a vacant benefice.
Synonyms
penny-pinching thrifty bargainous low-cost abstemious canny chary moderate cheap close with a buck economical frugal provident husbandly huswifely parsimonious prudent spareful sparing spary
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English economike, iconomique (“household management”), and then:
* from Middle French iconomique, oeconomique, and Old French iconomike (“(noun) household management; person in charge of household management; (adjective) relating to household management; relating to domestic or family matters; relating to management of a state; reducing costs or expenses, economical”) (modern French économique); and
* from their etymon Latin oeconomicus (“(noun) household manager, housekeeper, steward; (adjective) relating to orderly arrangement of written material”) (whence Late Latin economicus (“relating to (management of) a household”)), and economica (“household management”), both from Ancient Greek οἰκονομῐκός (oikonomĭkós, “skilled in household management; frugal, thrifty, economical”) (whence Koine Greek οἰκονομῐκός (oikonomĭkós, “relating to orderly arrangement of written material”));
from οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “master of a house; household manager, steward; administrator, manager”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). Οἰκονόμος (Oikonómos) is derived from οἶκος (oîkos, “dwelling place, house; estate”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- (“(verb) to enter in; to settle; (noun) settlement”)) + νόμος (nómos, “law, ordinance”) (from νέμω (némō, “to distribute; to possess”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to distribute; to give; to take”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns from verbs)).
Noun sense 2.2 (“one who manages the income of a vacant benefice”) is from Italian economo, from Late Latin oeconomus (“housekeeper, steward; administrator, especially of a religious foundation”), from Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “master of a house; household manager, steward; administrator, manager”): see above.
The adjective is derived from the noun; compare the adjective senses in Middle and Old French, Latin, and Ancient Greek.
By surface analysis, economy + -ic.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Pertaining to the household; domestic. "In this economical misfortune [of ill-assorted matrimony.]" Milton.
- adjective Relating to domestic economy, or to the management of household affairs.
Etymology [F. économique, L. oeconomicus orderly, methodical, Gr. Economy.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “economic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details