Other forms: austerities
Austerity is a policy of deep cuts to public spending. Years of austerity, austerity measures, the age of austerity.
The argument for it is that a government must reduce its debt; the argument against is that cutting during a downturn shrinks the economy and so the tax take with it. Economists remain divided. The word also means plainness and severity of life. Note austere beneath it.
1nounausterityA policy of deep cuts to public spending.
“Years of austerity meant fewer nurses, closed libraries and longer waiting lists.”
2nounplainnessPlainness and severity of life.
“The monks lived in austerity, with bare rooms and simple meals.”
austerity is a policy, or a plainness.
Latin austerus comes from Greek austeros, harsh or bitter, first of taste and then of manner.
Ancient Greek
αὐστηρότης — bitter, harsh
English, today
austerity
From Ancient Greek αὐστηρότης (“bitter, harsh”). Morphologically austere + -ity.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA