"a falling short or failure in amount," especially financially, 1782, from French déficit (late 17c.), from Latin deficit "it is wanting," an introductory word in clauses of inventory, third person singular present indicative of deficere "to fail, be deficient," from de "down, away" (see de-) + combining form of facere "to do, make" (from PIE root *dhe-"to set, put").

late Old English, verbal noun from spend (v.). Spending-money is from 1590s.

(abbreviated ADD), introduced as a diagnosis in the third edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (1980), from attention in the "power of mental concentration" sense. Expanded to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ("the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone;" ADHD) in DSM-III (1987).

mid-15c., "the spending of money," from Middle English emploien (see employ) + -ment. From 1590s as "an errand or commission;" 1640s as "a person's regular occupation or business."

"a spending of a night in a place other than one's residence," 1935, from the verbal phrase; see sleep (v.) + over (adv.). Earlier the verbal phrase meant "sleep late, oversleep" (1827).

1828, "ostentatious display," American English, of uncertain origin; originally among the class of words considered characteristic of "Western" (i.e. Kentucky) dialect. Perhaps a blend of splash and surge. The meaning "extravagant indulgence in spending" is first recorded 1928.

"spending or bestowing profusely," mid-15c., laves, from Old French lavasse,lavache (n.) "a torrent of rain, deluge" (15c.), from laver "to wash," from Latin lavare "to wash" (from PIE root *leue- "to wash"). Related: Lavishly; lavishness.

1640s, "an extravagant act," from French extravagance, from Late Latin extravagantem (see extravagant). Specifically of wasteful spending from 1727. Meaning "quality of being extravagant" is from 1670s. Extravagancy, "a wandering," especially "a wandering from the usual course," is attested from c. 1600, now rare.

mid-15c., "spending or contributing freely," from Old French distributif and directly from Late Latin distributivus, from Latin distribut-, past-participle stem of distribuere "to divide, deal out in portions" (see distribute). Meaning "that distributes" is from 1510s. In logic, "showing that a statement refers to each individual of a class separately," 1725 (opposed to collective). Related: Distributively.

1753, from French ellipse (17c.), from Latin ellipsis "ellipse," also, "a falling short, deficit," from Greek elleipsis (see ellipsis). So called because the conic section of the cutting plane makes a smaller angle with the base than does the side of the cone, hence, a "falling short." The Greek word was first applied by Apollonius of Perga (3c. B.C.E.). to the curve which previously had been called the section of the acute-angled cone, but the word earlier had been technically applied to a rectangle one of whose sides coincides with a part of a given line (Euclid, VI. 27).