Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

desipience

noun
de·​sip·​i·​ence | \ də̇ˈsipēən(t)s, dēˈ-\
variants: or less commonly desipiency \ -​nsē \
plural desipiences also desipiencies

Definition of desipience

: relaxed dallying in enjoyment of foolish trifles

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

History and Etymology for desipience

Latin desipientia, from desipient-, desipiens + -ia

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about desipience

Statistics for desipience

Look-up Popularity

Comments on desipience

What made you want to look up desipience? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

Noachian

Listen to the pronounciation of Noachian

ancient or antiquated

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Word Puzzles

  • alt 57589b2b4c6a3
  • Which answer pairs best with each of the following words? living, estate, club, music, road, mile
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games