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March 29, 2022
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| Word of the Week--"Extravagance" |
Definition--Extravagance- n. excessive wastefulness, often in reference to money; going out of the
usual path.
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| Discussion--The word extravaganza comes from the Latin extra, outside + vagari, wander, roam.
When we refer to someone as being extravagant we often see them as operating outside the accepted practices of society. Recently
extravagance has come to be used to refer to people who are careless or excessive in the spending of money.
We all would like to be extravagant with our money at times but most of us do not possess the finances
to spend our money carelessly. One person who does not have that problem is Bill Gates, the richest man
in the world.
Extravagance does not apply only to the spending of money. It can be used at any time to refer to someone that is
behaving outlandishly. The professional basketball player Dennis Rodman is quite an extravagant dresser,
often being seen wearing wedding dresses to complement his multi-colored hair!
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| Etymology--Extravagance- From the Latin extra, outside + vagari, wander, roam. The use of extravagance to refer to
excessive or extreme actions or objects is first recorded in 1599, with the use of excessive spending of money being first recorded in 1711.
Note that the Dutch and Spanish translations share the same Latin root as the English form of the word.
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Foreign Translations
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| Dutch: |
extravagantie (de)
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| French: |
prodigalit� (f)
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| German: |
Verschwendung(ssucht) (f) (in regards to money)
die Extravaganz (f) (in regards to other)
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| Italian: |
sperpero
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| Spanish: |
extravagancia
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Jane Ellis
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