expedient
noun/ɪkˈspiːdiənt/
/ɪkˈspiːdiənt/
- an action that is useful or necessary for a particular purpose, but not always fair or right
- The disease was controlled by the simple expedient of not allowing anyone to leave the city.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin expedient- ‘extricating, putting in order’, from the verb expedire ‘extricate (originally by freeing the feet), put in order’, from ex- ‘out’ + pes, ped- ‘foot’. The original sense was neutral; the negative sense, implying disregard of moral considerations, dates from the late 18th cent.
Check pronunciation:
expedient