parsimony - Dictionary definition and pronunciation - Yahoo! Education

Definition of parsimony


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par·si·mo·ny  audio  (pärs-mn) KEY 

NOUN:
  1. Unusual or excessive frugality; extreme economy or stinginess.
  2. Adoption of the simplest assumption in the formulation of a theory or in the interpretation of data, especially in accordance with the rule of Ockham's razor.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English parcimony, from Latin parsimnia, from parsus, past participle of parcere, to spare


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