desuetude

[ des-wi-tood, -tyood ]

noun

1. the state of being no longer used or practiced.

desuetude

/ ˈdɛswɪtjuːd; dɪˈsjuːɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. formal.
   the condition of not being in use or practice; disuse

   those ceremonies had fallen into desuetude

Word History and Origins

Origin of desuetude¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin dēsuētūdo, equivalent to dēsuē-, base of dēsuēscere “to become disaccustomed to, unlearn” ( dē- de- + suēscere “to become accustomed to”) + -tūdō -tude

Word History and Origins

Origin of desuetude¹

C15: from Latin dēsuētūdō, from dēsuescere to lay aside a habit, from de- + suescere to grow accustomed

Example Sentences

Certainly we must now be set on a path to mental decay and desuetude.

From Washington Post

That photograph, when seen on the gallery wall, potently conveys the quandary of a man, aging but still vigorous, who has been consigned to pampered desuetude in his Palm Desert retirement.

From New York Times

And there were abundant reasons to look back with affection at this singular Midtown institution with its wrought-iron gates from 1926, its flickering gas lanterns, the red-capped lawn jockeys donated to the place over the years by people with names — Vanderbilt, Mellon, Phipps — that filled the gossip columns of the past and then eventually, like high society itself, faded into unlamented desuetude.

From New York Times

By the fourth century, the gardens had apparently fallen into desuetude, and statuary in the abandoned pavilions was broken into pieces to build the foundations of a series of spas.

From New York Times

“This is the eschaton through lack of access, but also through human atrophy, debility, the desuetude of critical function.”

From New York Times