ascetic, ascetical, austere, spartan
(adjective) practicing great self-denial; āBe systematically ascetic...do...something for no other reason than that you would rather not do itā- William James; āa desert nomadās austere lifeā; āa spartan dietā; āa spartan existenceā
austere, stern
(adjective) of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect; āan austere expressionā; āa stern faceā
austere, severe, stark, stern
(adjective) severely simple; āa stark interiorā
Source: WordNet® 3.1
austere (comparative austerer or more austere, superlative austerest or most austere)
Grim or severe in manner or appearance
Lacking trivial decoration; not extravagant or gaudy
• (grim or severe): stern, strict, forbidding
• (lacking trivial decoration): simple, plain, unadorned, unembellished
• (not lacking trivial decoration): overwrought, flamboyant, extravagant, gaudy, flashy
Source: Wiktionary
Aus*tere", Etym: [F. austĆØre, L. austerus, fr. Gr. Sear.]
1. Sour and astringent; rough to the state; having acerbity; as, an austere crab apple; austere wine.
2. Severe in modes of judging, or living, or acting; rigid; rigorous; stern; as, an austere man, look, life. From whom the austere Etrurian virtue rose. Dryden.
3. Unadorned; unembellished; severely simple.
Syn.
– Harsh; sour; rough; rigid; stern; severe; rigorous; strict.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
22 February 2025
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., āthe father of the brideā instead of āthe brideās fatherā
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
