US /ˈpɔpərɪzəm/ UK /ˈpɔːpərɪzəm/
noun

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    the state of being extremely poor, especially as a widespread condition

    Victorian reformers debated the causes of urban pauperism.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · the state of being... povertydestitutionindigencepenurybeggary
Word family
Related forms pauperpauperizepauperization

Etymology

From pauper + the suffix -ism. Pauper is borrowed from Latin pauper ('poor').

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Topics

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