noun
pauper
PAW-per/ˈpɔːpər/
A person with very little or no money.
The pauper sits in a sparse room with an empty bowl.
Etymology
The roots convey “producing little” or “getting little,” connecting poverty with scant means. English pauper originally had a legal use for someone allowed to sue without paying fees because of poverty.
In context
poor dreaded the poorhouse just as they feared death itself, doing everything in their power to avoid admittance. Because once [music] admitted, they rarely left except for burial in the pauper cemetery.
More examples
- After paying rent, I feel like a pauper.
- The story follows a pauper who dreams of owning a home.
- The wealthy merchant leaves his fortune to the town's paupers.
Forms
pauper · paupers
poverty noun — The condition of having very little money.
Similar words
- poor person
- Poor person is more neutral and common in everyday speech.
- indigent
- Indigent often appears in formal discussions of aid eligibility.