thrift

 
Pronunciation: /θrɪft/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1the quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully: the values of thrift and self-reliance
  • [count noun] USanother term for savings and loan
  • 2a European plant which forms low-growing tufts of slender leaves with rounded pink flower heads, growing chiefly on sea cliffs and mountains. Also called sea pink
    • Armeria maritima, family Plumbaginaceae

Origin:

Middle English (in the sense 'prosperity, acquired wealth, success'): from Old Norse, from thrífa 'grasp, get hold of'. Compare with thrive