From Latin dēsuētūdō ('disuse'), from dēsuēscere ('to become unaccustomed'), from dē- + suēscere ('to become accustomed'), from PIE *swé ('self'). A law or custom that dies of neglect rather than repeal. Same PIE root as self, ethics, and custom.
A state of disuse; the condition of a law, custom, or practice that has fallen out of use without being formally abolished.
From Latin 'dēsuētūdō' ('disuse, discontinuance of a habit'), from 'dēsuēscere' ('to become unaccustomed'), composed of 'dē-' ('away from, un-') + 'suēscere' ('to become accustomed'), the inchoative of 'suēre' ('to be accustomed'). Latin 'suēscere' derives from PIE *swē-dʰh₁- ('to make one's own'), from the reflexive pronoun *swé ('self') + *dʰeh₁- ('to place, to make'). The PIE reflexive *swé is one of the oldest reconstructible words and also produced Latin 'suus' ('one's own'), English
Desuetude is one of the few English words that describes how something can die without being killed. In Scots law, the doctrine of desuetude is formally recognized: a statute that has gone unenforced for a sufficient period is considered dead and cannot be revived. This makes Scotland one