spendthrift (2009-05-22)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: ['spend-thrift]

Definition: A person who spends money wastefully.

Usage: "Ethan was a known spendthrift, but his prodigality was renamed generosity after he ordered twelve subs for the speech team's fund-raiser." And remember the circumstances in which normally thrifty people stop minding their wallets, "Daffine turns into a bit of a spendthrift after her third martini, so go ahead and order the steak."

Suggested Usage: Today's word is confused too easily with its antonym, "thrifty." To keep in mind the difference, remember that someone who throws money around spends his thrift (see Etymology), and you won't go wrong. "Spendthrift" has a colorful synonym that we don't use nearly enough. It might help you recall the meaning of today's word: "scattergood."

Etymology: How did two oxymoronic words, "spend" and "thrift," come together to mean "wastrel?" It has to do with an obsolete definition of "thrift," which today's word protects from obliteration: "accumulated wealth." Now the connection is easy to see. Someone who wastes their savings becomes a spendthrift. "Spend" comes from Middle English "spenden" from Latin expendere "to expend" and is akin to "spin" (hence "spider") and "span." "Thrift" comes from the Middle English thrift "prosperity," based on the verb "thrive."