depauperate

[ dih-paw-per-it ]

adjective

, Biology.

1. poorly or imperfectly developed.

Other Words From

• de·pau·per·a·tion [dih-paw-p, uh, -, rey, -sh, uh, n], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of depauperate¹

1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin dēpauperātus (past participle of dēpauperāre to make poor), equivalent to dē- de- + pauper ( āre ) to make poor ( pauper- poor ( pauper ) + -ātus -ate ¹ )

Example Sentences

By framing urban areas as degraded, depauperate and deficient, we are undervaluing its inhabitants—wildlife and people alike.

From Scientific American

Left unchecked, sea urchins can mow down kelp forests, leaving behind a denuded and depauperate undersea landscape.

From Science Magazine

And no, the environment is not hopelessly despoiled and depauperate, say “ecomodernists” such as Ronald Bailey in The End of Doom, Ruth DeFries in The Big Ratchet Chris Thomas in Inheritors of the Earth, and Stewart Brand in Whole Earth Discipline.

From The Guardian

There are some of these iconic, immense landscapes that look terrific from the air but they’re really depauperate of lion prey.”

From Scientific American

The loss of a crucial proportion of Earth's fauna during the next 50–100 years would be irreparable over the time frame of human existence, and future societies may struggle to live sustainably if left with unstable, depauperate life-support systems.

From Nature