land-poor

[ land-poor ]

adjective

1. in need of ready money while owning much land.

land-poor

adjective

1. owning much unprofitable land and lacking the money to maintain its fertility or improve it

Word History and Origins

Origin of land-poor¹

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

The family that was land-poor in China is slum-poor, immigrant-poor in California.

From New York Times

Nevertheless, he said, if there was to be any hope of reconciliation — a way to balance the competing claims of the various groups in Assam, including land-poor tribes and impoverished Assamese — Bengali Muslims had to have patience.

From New York Times

Dense, land-poor Santa Ana, torn between parks and development, is in 85th place.

From Salon

She’s more interested in the land-poor range.

From Washington Post

About 70 percent of alfalfa grown in California is used in dairies, and a good portion of the rest is exported to land-poor Asian countries like Japan.

From Slate