different between extravagance vs absurdity

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French extravagance, from Medieval Latin extra + vagor (“to wander”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?st?æv???ns/
• Hyphenation: ex?trav?a?gance

Noun

extravagance (countable and uncountable, plural extravagances)

1. Excessive or superfluous expenditure of money.
2. Prodigality, as of anger, love, expression, imagination, or demands.
   • A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire. In fact, that arm-chair had been an extravagance of Mrs. Bunting. She had wanted her husband to be comfortable after the day's work was done, and she had paid thirty-seven shillings for the chair.

Synonyms

Antonyms

• frugality
• economize
• moderation

Related terms

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -??s

Noun

extravagance f (plural extravagances)

1. extravagance
   • 1837 Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche^{fr.Wikisource}, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Chapter I:

     Sa curiosité et son extravagance arrivèrent à ce point qu’il vendit plusieurs arpents de bonnes terres à labourer pour acheter des livres de chevalerie à lire.

     His curiosity and his extravagance came to the point that he sold several arpents of good working land to buy books of chivalry to read.

Related terms

• extravagant
  • extravagamment

Further reading

• “extravagance” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

First attested around 1472. From Middle English absurdite, then from either Middle French absurdité, or from Late Latin absurditas (“dissonance, incongruity”), from Latin absurdus +? -itas (“quality, state, degree”). Equivalent to absurd +? -ity.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?b?s??d.?.ti/
• (US) IPA^(key): /æb?s?d.?.ti/, /æb?z?d.?.ti/, /?b?s?d.?.ti/, /?b?z?d.?.ti/

Noun

absurdity (countable and uncountable, plural absurdities)

1. (countable) That which is absurd; an absurd action; a logical contradiction. [First attested in the late 15^th century.]
2. (uncountable) The quality of being absurd or inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment. [First attested in the early 16^th century.]
3. (obsolete, rare) Dissonance. [Attested from around 1350 to 1470 until the late 17^th century.]

Translations

References