Main Entry: Mal·thu·sian

Pronunciation: \mal-ˈthü-zhən, mȯl-, -ˈthyü-\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Thomas R. Malthus

Date: 1821

: of or relating to Malthus or to his theory that population tends to increase at a faster rate than its means of subsistence and that unless it is checked by moral restraint or disaster (as disease, famine, or war) widespread poverty and degradation inevitably result

— Malthusian noun

— Mal·thu·sian·ism \-zhə-ˌni-zəm\ noun