indigent
adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L337661 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈɪndɪd͡ʒənt/ / /ɪnˈd(a)ɪd͡ʒənt/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English indigent, from Old French indigent, from Latin indigēns, present participle of indigeō (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egeō (“to be in need, want”).
- Poor; destitute; in need.
“Many of the indigent children are so badly provided for by their parents, with both food and raiment, that they cannot attend school regularly; […]”
“And were I not a thing for you and me To execrate in anguish, you would be As indigent a stranger to surprise, I fear, as I was once, and as unwise.”
- Utterly lacking or in need of something specified.
“Again some Bodies dissolve both in Fire and Water, as Gums; &c. And these are such, as have both Plenty of Spirit; and their tangible Parts indigent of Moisture: the former promotes the Dilatation of the Spirits by the Fire and the latter stimulates the Parts to receive the Liquor.”
“Will Providence guard us? How do I ſee that our Sex is naturally Indigent of Protection?—I hope it is in Fate to crown our Loves; for 'tis only in the Protection of Men of Honour, that we are naturally truly Safe […]”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English indigent, from Old French indigent, from Latin indigēns, present participle of indigeō (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egeō (“to be in need, want”).
- A person in need, or in poverty.
“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.”
“The influx of indigents overwhelmed the city's meagre social services and affordable accommodation.”