lésine

See also: lesine and lésiné

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian lesina. Doublet of alêne.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le.zin/
• Homophones: lésinent, lésines

Noun

lésine f (plural lésines)

1. (dated) miserliness, stinginess

   Synonym: avarice

   • 1857, Charles Baudelaire, “Au lecteur”, in Les Fleurs du mal [The Flowers of Evil], Paris: Poulet-Malassis et De Broise:

     La sottise, l’erreur, le péché, la lésine / Occupent nos esprits et travaillent nos corps,

     Foolishness, error, sin, miserliness / Occupy our minds and work on our bodies,

Verb

lésine

1. inflection of lésiner:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “lésine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.