Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

economic

/ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.10 in modern English

Syllables
eco-nom-ic
IPA
/ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Pertaining to an economy.

adj

Pertaining to the study of money and its movement.

adj

Pertaining to the management of a household

Obsolete

noun

The art or science of household management, especially relating to the appropriate organization of resources; housekeeping.

Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

One who is skilled in household management.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

One who manages the income of a vacant benefice.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *wóyḱos Proto-Hellenic *wóikos Ancient Greek ϝοῖκος (woîkos) Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos) Proto-Indo-European *nem-der. Proto-Indo-European *németi Proto-Hellenic *némō Ancient Greek νέμω (némō) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Hellenic *-os Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos) Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek οἰκονομία (oikonomía)bor. Latin oeconomia Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin oeconomicusder. Old French iconomikeder. Middle English iconomiquebor. Middle English economike, iconomique English economic The noun is derived from Middle English economike, iconomique (“household management”), and then: * from Middle French iconomique, oeconomique, and Old French iconomike (“(noun) household management; person in charge of household management; (adjective) relating to household management; relating to domestic or family matters; relating to management of a state; reducing costs or expenses, economical”) (modern French économique); and * from their etymon Latin oeconomicus (“(noun) household manager, housekeeper, steward; (adjective) relating to orderly arrangement of written material”) (whence Late Latin economicus (“relating to (management of) a household”)), and economica (“household management”), both from Ancient Greek οἰκονομῐκός (oikonomĭkós, “skilled in household management; frugal, thrifty, economical”) (whence Koine Greek οἰκονομῐκός (oikonomĭkós, “relating to orderly arrangement of written material”)); from οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “master of a house; household manager, steward; administrator, manager”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives). Οἰκονόμος (Oikonómos) is derived from οἶκος (oîkos, “dwelling place, house; estate”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- (“(verb) to enter in; to settle; (noun) settlement”)) + νόμος (nómos, “law, ordinance”) (from νέμω (némō, “to distribute; to possess”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- (“to distribute; to give; to take”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns from verbs)). Noun sense 2.2 (“one who manages the income of a vacant benefice”) is from Italian economo, from Late Latin oeconomus (“housekeeper, steward; administrator, especially of a religious foundation”), from Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos, “master of a house; household manager, steward; administrator, manager”): see above. The adjective is derived from the noun; compare the adjective senses in Middle and Old French, Latin, and Ancient Greek. By surface analysis, economy + -ic.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *weyḱ-, economike, iconomique, iconomike, oeconomicus, οἰκονομῐκός

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/
  • British English: /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more economic (comparative) most economic (superlative) economick (alternative) œconomic (alternative) œconomick (alternative) economics (plural)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce economic?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/.
What does economic mean?
Pertaining to an economy.
Where does economic come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce economic

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “economic”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌɛkəˈnɑmɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “economic”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “economic” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.