desuetude
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of desuetude
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin dēsuētūdo, equivalent to dēsuē-, base of dēsuēscere “to become disaccustomed to, unlearn” ( dē- de- + suēscere “to become accustomed to”) + -tūdō -tude
Explanation
Use the noun desuetude to say that something is not active or not being used, like the desuetude of a neglected park, with its overgrown ballfields and broken playground equipment. There are two ways to correctly pronounce desuetude: "DES-wuh-tude" or "de-SUE-uh-tude." It comes from Latin: de- means "away, from" and suescere means "become accustomed." So if people or things are not used — out of custom — desuetude is the result, carrying with it a sense of neglect, disrepair, and inaction.
Vocabulary lists containing desuetude
Challenge, List 11
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List 10
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Uncle Tom's Cabin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Certainly we must now be set on a path to mental decay and desuetude.
From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2023
A very few people, not appearing to be up to much, sat far apart at desks in a dimly lighted panorama of desuetude.
From The New Yorker • Sep. 2, 2018
Meaning when you have a statute that hasn't been enforced in 215 years, there's a concept in the law called desuetude.
From Slate • Dec. 4, 2017
As the harem fell into desuetude, women went out, first to shop, then to study and finally to work.
From The Guardian • Feb. 16, 2017
Although never repudiated, and although retrospectively sanctioned by the Syllabus, they fell into desuetude, under pressure from France, and from Protestant Europe.
From Letters of Lord Acton To Mary, Daughter of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone by Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
