penniless B1 Topic:Money & Finance US /ˈpɛ.nɪ.ləs/ See IPA manual Freq #15888 Meanings 1 adj Having no money at all; very poor. He arrived in the city penniless and looking for work. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · having no money at all;... brokebankruptbeggared Word family Derived forms penniless-benchpennilesslypennilessness Etymology AI details From Middle English penyles, penylees; equivalent to penny + -less. Compare Old Norse penningalauss (“penniless”). penyles Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Money & Finance External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # penniless **Type:** Word **Level:** B1 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈpɛ.nɪ.ləs/ **Frequency rank:** 15888 ## Meanings 1. Having no money at all; very poor. ## Examples - He arrived in the city penniless and looking for work. ## Derived Forms - penniless-bench - pennilessly - pennilessness ## Roots and Affixes - Root: penyles ## Etymology From Middle English penyles, penylees; equivalent to penny + -less. Compare Old Norse penningalauss (“penniless”). ## AI Etymology Penniless comes from Middle English penyles, penylees; equivalent to penny + -less. Compare Old Norse penningalauss (“penniless”). The historical chain includes penyles (Middle English). In present-day English it covers having no money at all; very poor. The wider family includes derived forms such as penniless-bench, pennilessly, pennilessness. ## Topics - Money & Finance markdown