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thrifty

Diction
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Practicing strict economy, frugality, and wise resource management; used in moral or pastoral verse to praise modest living.

Detailed Definition
Here, the word has its older sense of being sparing or economical, not the modern sense of successful or prosperous. Millay uses it in a slightly archaic, literary way to describe the speaker’s restrained, careful speech.
Example
Example in poetry:
“To thrifty ears” describes listeners alert to value, economy, or advantage; A “thrifty” phrase may be verbally economical as well as financially careful; “Thrifty sunlight” can personify nature as sparing in winter; The adjective may praise prudence or imply stinginess, depending on context
Additional Notes
In the line "To thrifty ears," the word is used in an older, less common sense that many modern readers may not immediately know.; Found in the poem, The Fawn by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Also Known As
frugal economical sparing prudent
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