Dictionary
e•con•o•my
Pronunciation: (i-kon'u-mē), [key]
—n., pl. -mies,
—adj., adv.
—
n.
1. thrifty management; frugality in the expenditure or consumption of money, materials, etc.
2. an act or means of thrifty saving; a saving:
He achieved a small economy by walking to work instead of taking a bus.
3. the management of the resources of a community, country, etc., esp. with a view to its productivity.
4. the prosperity or earnings of a place:
Further inflation would endanger the national economy seriously.
5. the disposition or regulation of the parts or functions of any organic whole; an organized system or method.
6. the efficient, sparing, or concise use of something:
an economy of effort; an economy of movement.
7. See
economy class.
8. Theol.
a. the divine plan for humanity, from creation through redemption to final beatitude.
b. the method of divine administration, as at a particular time or for a particular race.
9. Obs.the management of household affairs.
—
adj.
1. intended to save money:
to reduce the staff in an economy move.
2. costing less to make, buy, or operate:
an economy car.
3. of or pertaining to economy class:
the economy fare to San Francisco.
—
adv.
in economy-class accommodations, or by economy-class conveyance:
to travel economy. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
