desuetude

American  

[des-wi-tood, -tyood] / ˈdɛs wɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

noun

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

---

desuetude British  

/ ˈdɛswɪtjuːd, dɪˈsjuːɪˌtjuːd /

noun

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

   those ceremonies had fallen into desuetude

---

Etymology

Origin of desuetude

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

Explanation

Use the noun desuetude to say that something is not active or not being used, like the desuetude of a neglected park, with its overgrown ballfields and broken playground equipment. There are two ways to correctly pronounce desuetude: "DES-wuh-tude" or "de-SUE-uh-tude." It comes from Latin: de- means "away, from" and suescere means "become accustomed." So if people or things are not used — out of custom — desuetude is the result, carrying with it a sense of neglect, disrepair, and inaction.

Example Sentences

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

From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2023

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 • Jan. 12, 2021

A very few people, not appearing to be up to much, sat far apart at desks in a dimly lighted panorama of desuetude.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 2, 2018

Meaning when you have a statute that hasn't been enforced in 215 years, there's a concept in the law called desuetude.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2017

But, morally speaking, there is no obligation to obey a law that has fallen into desuetude.

From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Callan, Charles Jerome