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May 25, 2005

This week's theme
Insults

This week's words
fustilugs
rampallion
effete
sudoriferous
scut

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effete

adjective:
1. Worn out; no longer fertile or productive.
2. Weak, ineffectual.
3. Marked by decadence or self-indulgence.
4. Effeminate.

[From Latin effetus (worn out from bearing), from ex- + fetus (bearing young).]

"Many people who have grown up in socially, deeply conservative societies have a very hard time coming to terms with the freedoms available in liberal countries. Indeed, they take this personal liberty as a sign of decadence, and often despise Westerners as effete and irreligious. Unfortunately, they have no idea of the centuries of strife and struggle that have gone into attaining this level of secularism and freedom from the church, society, and the state."
Irfan Husain; Existential Dilemma Forced by Clash of Civilisations; Khaleej Times (Dubai, United Arab Emirates); Dec 2, 2004.

See more usage examples of effete in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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