prodigal
/ˈpɹɑdɪɡəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adj
Behaving as a prodigal son:
adj
Behaving as a prodigal son:
noun
A prodigal person; a spendthrift; a wastrel.
Example Sentences
- "He found himself guilty of prodigal spending during the holidays."
- "The prodigal son spent his share of his inheritance until he was destitute."
- "The prodigal heir can only waste his own substance, and the punishment falls, as it should, upon himself; but the prince has an awful responsibility,—the welfare of others is required at his hands;..."
- "She was a merry person, glad and prodigal of smiles."
- "How can he be so prodigal with money on such a tight budget?"
- "He generally falls backwards and sometimes succumbs to the fever which ensues; hence as soon as the ordeal is over the women are prodigal of their attentions to him, and rub the swollen arm with a particular kind of herb."
Etymology
From Middle French prodigal, from Late Latin prōdigālis (“wasteful”), from Latin prōdigus (“wasteful, lavish, prodigal”), from prōdigō (“to consume, squander, drive forth”), from prōd- [from prō (“before, forward”)] + agō (“to drive”). Also see unrelated prodigy. The senses of "abandoning a person or cause" and "returning after abandonment" are by allusion to the New Testament story commonly called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son", Luke 15:11–32. See prodigal son.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *per-, prodigal, prōdigālis, prōdigus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɹɑdɪɡəl/
- British English: /ˈpɹɒdɪɡəl/