poor

poor
[[t]pʊər[/t]]
adj. -er, -est, n.
1) having little or no money, goods, or other means of support
2) law Law. dependent upon charity or public support
3) (of a country, institution, etc.) meagerly supplied or endowed with resources or funds
4) characterized by or showing poverty
5) lacking in something specified:
a region poor in mineral deposits[/ex]
6) faulty or inferior:
poor workmanship[/ex]
7) agr. deficient in desirable ingredients or qualities:
poor soil[/ex]
8) lacking in ability or training:
a poor cook[/ex]
9) wretched; unfortunate:
The poor thing has no friends[/ex]
10) scanty or meager:
poor attendance[/ex]
11) humble; modest
12) the poor, poor persons collectively:
aid for the poor[/ex]
Etymology: 1150–1200; ME pov(e) re < OF povre < L pauper poor′ish, adj. poor′ness, n. syn: poor, impecunious, impoverished, penniless refer to those lacking money. poor is the simple word for the condition of lacking the means to obtain the comforts of life: a very poor family. impecunious often suggests that the poverty is a consequence of unwise habits: an impecunious actor. impoverished often implies a former state of greater plenty: the impoverished aristocracy. penniless refers to extreme poverty; it means entirely without money: The widow was left penniless.

From formal English to slang. 2014.

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  • poor — W1S1 [po: US pur] adj comparative poorer superlative poorest ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(no money)¦ 2¦(not good)¦ 3¦(sympathy)¦ 4¦(not good at something)¦ 5¦(health)¦ 6 poor in something 7 a poor second/third etc …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Poor — Poor, a. [Compar. {Poorer} (?; 254); superl. {Poorest}.] [OE. poure or povre, OF. povre, F. pauvre, L. pauper; the first syllable of which is probably akin to paucus few (see {Paucity}, {Few}), and the second to parare to prepare, procure. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • poor — [ pur ] adjective *** ▸ 1 lacking money ▸ 2 of low quality ▸ 3 not good enough ▸ 4 not skillful ▸ 5 lacking something important ▸ 6 less than expected ▸ 7 feeling sorry for someone ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) having little money and few possessions: a poor… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • poor — [poor] adj. [ME pore < OFr povre < L pauper, poor < IE base * pōu , small > FEW, FOAL] 1. a) lacking material possessions; having little or no means to support oneself; needy; impoverished b) indicating or characterized by poverty 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • Poor — is an adjective related to a state of poverty, low quality or pity.People with the surname Poor: * Charles Henry Poor, a US Navy officer * Charles Lane Poor, an astronomer * Edward Erie Poor, a vice president of the National Park Bank * Enoch… …   Wikipedia

  • poor — UK US /pɔːr/ US  /pʊr/ adjective ► having little money and/or few possessions: »It s offering to pay off 10 percent of the poor countries debt. »He came from a poor immigrant family. ► not good or operating well, or of a low quality or standard:… …   Financial and business terms

  • poor — ► ADJECTIVE 1) lacking sufficient money to live at a comfortable or normal standard. 2) of a low or inferior standard or quality. 3) (poor in) lacking in. 4) deserving pity or sympathy. ● the poor man s Cf. ↑the poor man s …   English terms dictionary

  • poor — adj 1 Poor, indigent, needy, destitute, penniless, impecunious, poverty stricken, necessitous are comparable when they mean having less money or fewer possessions than are required to support a full life. Poor describes a person, a people, or an… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • poor — (adj.) c.1200, from O.Fr. poure (Fr. pauvre), from L. pauper poor, perhaps a compound of paucus little and parare to get. Replaced O.E. earm. The poor boy sandwich, made of simple but filling ingredients, was invented and named in New Orleans in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • poor — [adj1] lacking sufficient money bad off*, bankrupt, beggared, beggarly, behind eight ball*, broke*, destitute, dirt poor*, down andout*, empty handed*, flat*, flat broke*, fortuneless, hard up*, impecunious, impoverished, indigent, in need,… …   New thesaurus

  • Poor — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Enoch Poor (1736–1780), Schiffbauer und Händler aus Exeter, Brigadegeneral der Kontinentalarmee im Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg. Salem Poor (* 1758), afroamerikanischer Soldat, der für seine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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