poor

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Having little money or few possessions.

   They were so poor that they couldn't afford shoes.

2. 2
   adj

   Of low quality; not good enough.

   That was a poor performance.

3. 3
   adj

   Deserving sympathy or pity.

   Oh, you poor thing, you're soaked!

4. 4
   noun

   People who have little money, considered as a group.

   The new law aims to help the poor.

Common collocations

• poor health Adjective + noun
• poor excuse Adjective + noun
• poor hearing Adjective + noun
• poor service Adjective + noun

Inherited from Middle English povre, povere, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) povre, poure, from Latin pauper, from Old Latin *pavo-pars (literally “getting little”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Doublet of pauper. Displaced native arm, wantsome, Middle English unlede (“poor”) (from Old English unlǣde), Middle English unweli, unwely (“poor, unwealthy”) (from Old English un- + weliġ (“well-to-do, prosperous, rich”)).

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