Word of the Day

: May 24, 2009

destitute

adjective DESS-tuh-toot

What It Means

1 : lacking something needed or desirable

2 : lacking possessions and resources; especially : suffering extreme poverty

destitute in Context

"He gave thanks for our food and comfort, and prayed for the poor and destitute in great cities, where the struggle for life was harder than it was here with us." (Willa Cather, My Antonia)

Did You Know?

You may be surprised to learn that "destitute" is related to words like "statue," "statute," and even "statistics." The Latin word "status," meaning "position" or "state," is the source of these and other English words. Some terms of this family are directly related to "status," while others come to English through "statuere," a Latin derivative of "status" that means "to set up." "Destitute" came from "destituere" ("to abandon" or "to deprive"), a joining of "statuere" and the prefix "de-" ("from, down, away"). "Statuere" also gave us "constitute," "institute," and "restitution," among other similar-sounding words.