squalor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a state of extreme dirtiness and unpleasant living conditions, often caused by neglect or poverty

   The inspection revealed families living in damp rooms and appalling squalor.

From Latin squalor ("roughness, filthiness"), from squalere ("to be rough or dirty"). English retained the physical sense and extended it to degrading conditions produced by poverty or neglect.

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