This flashcard defines 'destitute' as lacking necessities, especially suffering extreme poverty, and traces its etymology to Latin words related to 'position' and 'to set up,' ultimately deriving from a term meaning 'to abandon' or 'to deprive.'
This flashcard explains that 'destitute' describes someone lacking essential resources and suffering extreme poverty. It also details the Latin roots of the word, connecting it to 'status' and 'statuere,' illustrating how it evolved to mean 'to abandon' or 'to deprive.'
| Word | destitute |
|---|---|
| Date | May 24, 2009 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | DESS-tuh-toot |
| Etymology | You may be surprised to learn that "destitute" is related to words like "statue," "statute," and even "statistics." The Latin word "status," meaning "position" or "state," is the source of these and other English words. Some terms of this family are directly related to "status," while others come to English through "statuere," a Latin derivative of "status" that means "to set up." "Destitute" came from "destituere" ("to abandon" or "to deprive"), a joining of "statuere" and the prefix "de-" ("from, down, away"). "Statuere" also gave us "constitute," "institute," and "restitution," among other similar-sounding words. |
| Examples | "He gave thanks for our food and comfort, and prayed for the poor and destitute in great cities, where the struggle for life was harder than it was here with us." (Willa Cather, My Antonia) |
| Definition | 1 : lacking something needed or desirable 2 : lacking possessions and resources; especially : suffering extreme poverty |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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