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⇱ penury - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

penury

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpɛnjəri/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈpɛnjəri/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(pen′yə rē)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pen•u•ry /ˈpɛnyəri/USA pronunciation   n. 
    [uncountable]
  1. great, deep poverty;
    destitution.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pen•u•ry  (pen′yə rē),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. extreme poverty;
    destitution.
  2. scarcity;
    dearth;
    inadequacy;
    insufficiency.
  • Latin pēnūria; akin to Greek peîna hunger, penía poverty
  • late Middle English 1400–50
    1. indigence, need, want.
    1. wealth.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
penury /ˈpɛnjʊrɪ/ n
  1. extreme poverty
  2. extreme scarcity
Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin pēnūria dearth, of obscure origin
'penury' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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