Hi, I’m Marc Franco, and this is Word of the Week with Snap Language.
austere / ɔˈstɪər /
“Austere” has multiple meanings.
First, think of monks living in a monastery.
They live an austere life.
An austere life is a life with no luxuries, without excesses.
Monks eat simple food...
they only eat and what they need to nourish their bodies, really.
No gummy bears, I guess...
And they’re very disciplined...
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There’s no movie night in the monastery.
An austere life means... no coffee?
You can’t even venmo a monk a cup of coffee...
Wow...
I’m sure they’re happy, though...
It’s a plain but simple life... an austere life...
But that’s not just for monks.
Some regular people choose to lead an austere life,
not out of necessity... it’s just a chosen lifestyle,
an austere lifestyle.
They don’t spend money on frivolous things...
only on what they really need.
They can also be very disciplined.
They wake up early, work hard, have simple meals, and
go to sleep at the same time every evening.
That’s an austere lifestyle...
Some writers prefer an austere writing style,
a writing style without any unnecessary embellishments,
where they go straight to the point.
If you write like that, you could say you have an austere style of writing...
Just plain writing using simple, unambiguous words...
That’s just like some people’s decor.
They don’t like clutter or useless knick-knacks.
They prefer simple, functional furniture without any frills.
Kind of the opposite of... that!
[chuckles] That’s not an austere room at all...
Now, that’s an austere room...
I often see “austere” used
as a noun, though:
“austerity.” / ɔˈstɛr ɪ ti /
“Austerity” is a type of economic policies, where
the government tries to control its deficit by increasing taxes and, at the same time,
reducing funding for services.
They’re called “austerity measures.”
Many say austerity measures just collect more taxes
without offering much in return.
That can exacerbate social problems.
If people were already living an austere life...
not by choice but by necessity...
they now have even less to live on.
We’ve seen a lot of protests against austerity policies
in the last couple of decades...
Austere... austerity...
Your personality or manners can also be austere.
That’s a different meaning, though.
An austere professor is strict... serious...
I had a good friend as a teenager whose father was a very austere person.
I’d go to my friend’s house to hang out.
When his father came in, he’d usually say “hello” under his breath,
keep walking into the house, and you’d rarely see him again.
He was very austere...
He seemed unfriendly... unapproachable.
I don’t think he ever even cracked a smile.
When I moved away, I went there to say “goodbye” to my friend’s family.
His father... his very austere father... was there.
He came up to me and...
he actually gave me a small parting gift.
He was still austere when he handed the gift to me but...
suddenly, he actually... smiled!
Hm... maybe he was happy to see me go?
[laughs]
Nah... I don’t think so.
People are interesting that way.
You never know what lies beneath the surface.
austere / ɔˈstɪər /
austerity / ɔˈstɛr ɪ ti /
There’s also a word you use to call people who live austere lives
and avoid pleasure...
Do you know what it is?
Well, that’s the word for next week.
Bye!
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