noun

destitution

des-tih-TOO-shun/ˌdestɪˈtuːʃn/

Extreme poverty in which basic necessities are lacking.

Many families face destitution when they lose their only income.

A man sheltering on flattened cardboard beneath a small concrete overhang, with an empty food bowl, badly worn shoes and only a thin torn blanket against cold rain.

Etymology

deLatinaway

+stitutLatinput, place

+ionLatinaction or state

The combination of “away” and “put” underlies the verb meaning “forsake.” The noun shifted from forsaking or deprivation generally to the specific condition of lacking basic means and resources.

In context

Libranima112:34

Mr. Luzhin, who propounds the theory of the superiority of wives raised from destitution and owing everything to their husband’s bounty

Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky (Illustrated Audiobook) Part 1 of 2

More examples

Emergency food and housing keep the family from falling into destitution.
Years of drought have left entire villages in destitution.
She escaped destitution after finding steady work.

Forms

destitution

destitute adjective — Lacking money and life's basic necessities.

Similar words

poverty: Describes material hardship without necessarily implying unmet basic needs.
deprivation: Focuses on lacking necessities, not necessarily lacking money.