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   poverty

   /ˈpɒvəti/

   noun

   • 1. the state of being extremely poor: "thousands of families are living in abject poverty" Similar penurydestitutionindigencepennilessnessprivationdeprivationimpoverishmentneedinessneedwanthardshipimpecuniousnessimpecuniosityhand-to-mouth existencebeggarypauperismstraitened circumstancesbankruptcyinsolvencyprimary povertyrare:pauperdomOpposite wealth
   • ▪ the renunciation of the right to individual ownership of property as part of a religious vow.
   • 2. the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount: "the poverty of her imagination" Similar scarcitydeficiencydearthshortagepaucityinsufficiencyinadequacyabsencelackwantdeficitmeagrenesslimitednessrestrictednesssparsenesssparsityrare:exiguityinferioritymediocritypoornessbarrennessariditysterilityOpposite abundance

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French poverte, from Latin paupertas, from pauper ‘poor’.

   Scrabble Points: 15

   • P

     3

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     1

   • V

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   • E

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   • Y

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