parsimony

(pär'sə-mō'nē)
n.

1. Unusual or excessive frugality; extreme economy or stinginess.
2. Adoption of the simplest assumption in the formulation of a theory or in the interpretation of data, especially in accordance with the rule of Ockham's razor.

[Middle English parcimony, from Latin parsimōnia, from parsus, past participle of parcere, to spare.]

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Parsimony is a method for choosing the simplest explanation among a variety of possible explanations for phenomena when decisive evidence is unavailable. In evolutionary terms this means grouping organisms or their traits in hierarchies that minimize the occurrence of special events. For example, all mammals are descendants of a fur-bearing, milk-producing ancestor, even though some mammals (e.g., platypus, echidna) produce eggs instead of live young. The most parsimonious explanation is that live bearing is a secondary adaptation that occurred after mammals separated from the other groups of animals.

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1. (in computing) an algorithm used for determining sequence relationships in macromolecules.
2. (in genetics) the construction of evolutionary trees from protein and nucleic-acid sequences. It maximizes the genetic likeness associated with common ancestry, whilst minimizing the incidence of convergent mutation, and provides a way to find the best genealogical hypothesis from sequence data.

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For a list of words related to parsimony, see:

• Spending, Receiving, and Possessing Wealth - parsimony: great caution in spending, stinginess

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See words rhyming with "parsimony."

Dansk (Danish)
n. - påholdenhed, sparsomhed

Nederlands (Dutch)
vrekkigheid

Français (French)
n. - parcimonie

Deutsch (German)
n. - Geiz, Sparsamkeit

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φειδωλία, φιλαργυρία

Italiano (Italian)
parsimonia, avarizia

Português (Portuguese)
n. - parcimônia (f), sovinice (f)

Русский (Russian)
скупость

Español (Spanish)
n. - parquedad, escasez, frugalidad, avaricia, parsimonia

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - överdr. sparsamhet, knussel, gnidighet

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
过度节俭, 吝啬

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 過度節儉, 吝嗇

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 인색한, 극도의 절약

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 極度の倹約, けち

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) بخل شديد, إقتصاد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קמצנות, חסכנות‬

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