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Desuetude: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Desuetude noun. A state of no longer being used or practised.
How to say it
DES-wih-tyood/ˈdɛswɪtjuːd/ · American /ˈdɛswəˌtud/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (DES).
Desuetude in a sentence
In many parishes the old custom of beating the bounds has fallen into desuetude.
Laws left in long desuetude are sometimes dusted off for a single strange case.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- disuse
- neglect
- abandonment
Opposite:
- use
- currency
Where desuetude comes from
From Latin desuetudo, from desuescere, to fall out of a habit.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Laws left in long _____ are sometimes dusted off for a single strange case.
- anachronism
- palimpsest
- desuetude
Show the answer
desuetude: Laws left in long desuetude are sometimes dusted off for a single strange case.