effete

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪˈfit/ UK /ɪˈfiːt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
weak, exhausted, or lacking vigor; over-refined

Critics dismissed the regime as decadent and effete.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · weak, exhausted, or lacking... decadent enervated exhausted worn-out weak feebleover-refined

Opposites

vigorous robust virile fertile productive

Word family

Derived forms effetelyeffeteness

Simplified etymology

Effete comes from Latin effetus, formed from ex- “out” and fetus “breeding, childbirth, offspring.” It originally described an animal exhausted by bearing young or no longer fertile, then came to mean “depleted of strength,” and by the late 18th century “feeble” or “over-refined.”

Etymology

From Latin effētus ('worn out by bearing, exhausted'), originally of an animal no longer able to bear young, from ex- ('out') + fētus ('breeding, that has given birth').

effētus Latin fētus Latin *dʰeh₁(y)- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# effete

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈfit/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈfiːt/

## Meanings
1. weak, exhausted, or lacking vigor; over-refined

## Examples
- Critics dismissed the regime as decadent and effete.

## Synonyms
- decadent
- enervated
- exhausted
- worn-out
- weak
- feeble
- over-refined

## Antonyms
- vigorous
- robust
- virile
- fertile
- productive

## Derived Forms
- effetely
- effeteness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: effētus
- Root: fētus
- Root: *dʰeh₁(y)-

## Etymology
From Latin effētus ('worn out by bearing, exhausted'), originally of an animal no longer able to bear young, from ex- ('out') + fētus ('breeding, that has given birth').

## AI Etymology
Effete comes from Latin effētus ('worn out by bearing, exhausted'), originally of an animal no longer able to bear young, from ex- ('out') + fētus ('breeding, that has given birth'). The historical trail runs through Latin effētus, Latin fētus and Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)-. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. The later sense follows a semantic development already present in the word's history. In modern use it means weak, exhausted, or lacking vigor; over-refined. Derived formations include effetely, effeteness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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