To procrastinate is to intentionally and habitually delay or postpone tasks. The word comes from Latin roots meaning 'forward' and 'of tomorrow'.
Procrastinate (verb) means to intentionally and habitually put off doing something. Derived from Latin for 'forward' and 'of tomorrow,' it implies delay, often due to laziness.
| Word | procrastinate |
|---|---|
| Date | January 12, 2016 |
| Type | verb |
| Syllables | pruh-KRASS-tuh-nayt |
| Etymology | We won't put off telling you about the origins of procrastinate. English speakers borrowed the word in the 16th century from Latin procrastinatus, which itself evolved from the prefix pro-, meaning "forward," and crastinus, meaning "of tomorrow." Like its synonyms delay, lag, loiter, dawdle, and dally, procrastinate means to move or act slowly so as to fall behind. It typically implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy. |
| Examples | Somehow, despite procrastinating, Melody managed to hand her assignment in on time. "You won't achieve [financial fitness] overnight or by happenstance, but by making responsible decisions on a daily basis, working hard and adhering to a well-crafted plan. You also won't achieve it if you let time constraints get in the way, or you procrastinate." — Odysseas Papadimitriou, U.S. News & World Report, 3 Dec. 2015 |
| Definition | 1 : to put off intentionally and habitually 2 : to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done |
Tags: wordoftheday::verb
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