destitution

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English

WOTD – 23 May 2011

Etymology

From Old French destitution, from Latin dēstitūtiō (“abandoning”), from dēstituō.

Pronunciation

Noun

destitution (countable and uncountable, plural destitutions)

  1. (obsolete) The action of deserting or abandoning.
  2. (now rare) Discharge from office; dismissal.
  3. The condition of lacking something.
    • 1906, “Mark Twain”, in The Bible According to Mark Twain, published 1996, page 330:
      He requires of his fellow man obedience to a very creditable code of morals, but he observes without shame or disapproval his God's utter destitution of morals.
  4. An extreme state of poverty, in which a person is almost completely lacking in resources or means of support.
    • 2009 August 4, Rahila Gupta, The Guardian:
      Destitution forces many asylum seekers to end up working for extremely low wages in catering, cleaning and construction, for example, without any protection against unscrupulous employers.

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēstitūtiōnem.

Pronunciation

Noun

destitution f (plural destitutions)

  1. discharge, dismissal
  2. deposition (of a politician etc.)

Further reading

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