Malthusian

English

Etymology

From Malthus +‎ -ian.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /mælˈθjuːzɪən/

Adjective

Malthusian (comparative more Malthusian, superlative most Malthusian)

1. Of, or relating to Thomas Malthus (1766–1834) or his views on human population and world resources.
   • 1849, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Caxtons:

     For first, this college life, opening to scholarships, and ending, perchance, as you political economists would desire, in Malthusian fellowships,—premiums for celibacy,— consider what manner of thing it is!

   • 1970, Robert M. Solow, Growth Theory: An Exposition, Oxford University Press, page 13:

     Even under the best of circumstances, however, no one would depend on this Malthusian adjustment process to account for the ability of modern economies to maintain a constant saving rate and steady growth for 20 years at a time without catastrophe.

   • 2021 November 21, Oliver Milman, “Climate denial is waning on the right. What’s replacing it might be just as scary”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     A mixture of this Malthusian and ethno-nationalist thinking is being distilled into political campaigning, as in a political pamphlet described in Turner and Bailey’s research paper from SVP, the largest party in Switzerland’s federal assembly, which shows a city crowded by people and cars belching out pollution, with a tagline that translates to “stop massive immigration”.

Derived terms

• neo-Malthusian
• Malthusian catastrophe
• Malthusian check
• Malthusian crisis
• Malthusian crunch
• Malthusianism
• Malthusian spectre
• Malthusian trap

Translations

of, or relating to Malthus or his views

• Belarusian: мальтузія́нскі (malʹtuzijánski)
• Czech: malthusiánský, malthusovský
• French: malthusien (fr)
• Italian: maltusiano
• Polish: maltuzjański (pl)
• Portuguese: malthusiano (pt)
• Russian: мальтузиа́нский (ru) (malʹtuziánskij)
• Ukrainian: мальтузіа́нський (malʹtuziánsʹkyj)

Noun

Malthusian (plural Malthusians)

1. A supporter of the ideas of Thomas Malthus.
   • 1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter V, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:

     As Tess grew older, and began to see how matters stood, she felt quite a Malthusian towards her mother for thoughtlessly giving her so many little sisters and brothers, when it was such a trouble to nurse and provide for them.

Translations

a supporter of the ideas of Thomas Malthus

• Belarusian: мальтузія́нец m (malʹtuzijánjec)
• Russian: мальтузиа́нец (ru) m (malʹtuziánec)
• Ukrainian: мальтузіа́нець m (malʹtuziánecʹ)

Anagrams

• Nahuatlism