Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: French
Origin: Latin frux 'fruit, value'

frugal

 adjective
     
fru‧gal
1 careful to buy only what is necessary [≠ extravagant]:
As children we were taught to be frugal and hard-working.
He led a remarkably frugal existence.
2 a frugal meal is a small meal of plain food [= simple; ≠ extravagant]:
a frugal breakfast
—frugally adverb
—frugality noun [uncountable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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