poverty

/ˈpä-vər-tē/

Middle English poverte, from Anglo-French poverté, from Latin paupertat-, paupertas, from pauper poor

noun

  1. the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions

  2. renunciation as a member of a religious order of the right as an individual to own property

  3. scarcity, dearth

poverty indigence penury want destitution mean the state of one with insufficient resources. poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts. indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

noun

  1. a level of personal or family income below which one is classified as poor according to governmental standards —called also poverty level

adjective

  1. very poor : destitute