indigent
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
c. 1400, Middle French, from Latin indigentem, form of indigere (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egere (“be in need, want”).[1][2]
Only relation to antonym affluent is common Latinate suffix + -ent.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈɪndɪʤənt/
[edit] Adjective
indigent (comparative more indigent, superlative most indigent)
- Poor; destitute; in need.
- 1974, Guy Davenport, Tatlin!
- I had since my introduction to the prince been sensitive to the fact that he must think an obviously indigent soldier of fortune will sooner or later open the subject of a subscription to the Greek Cause.
- 1974, Guy Davenport, Tatlin!
[edit] Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:impoverished
[edit] Translations
poor; destitute
[edit] Noun
indigent (plural indigents)
- A person in need, or in poverty
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- 1975: I liked the streets best, so I walked and stared, and slept in a Salvation Army hostel for indigents. But I was no indigent; I was rich in feeling, and that was a luxury I had rarely known. — Robertson Davies, World of Wonders
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[edit] Translations
a person in need or in poverty
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[edit] Related terms
[edit] References
- ^ “indigent” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
- ^ “indigence” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
[edit] Latin
[edit] Verb
indigent
- third-person plural present active indicative of indigeō
