beggary

[ beg-uh-ree ]

noun

, plural beg·gar·ies

1. a state or condition of utter poverty.
2. beggars collectively.
3. a place lived in or frequented by beggars.

beggary

/ ˈbɛɡərɪ /

noun

1. extreme poverty or need
2. the condition of being a beggar

Word History and Origins

Origin of beggary¹

1350–1400; Middle English beggerie. See beggar, -y ³( def )

Example Sentences

“We started our drive against the menace of beggary three months back.”

From The Guardian

“There’s beggary in the love that can be reckoned,” he said.

From The Guardian

A Massachusetts official, writing in 1857, informed the state legislature that the Irish immigrant population was characterized by “wretchedness, beggary, drunkenness, deceit, lying, treachery, malice, superstition.”

From Washington Post

Let us become one prosperous happy world without poverty, beggary, corruption, selfishness, disparity or inequality.

From New York Times

So he appealed to them, one after another, going from left to right, with open palm, as though his life time had been spent in beggary.

From Literature