noun

penury

Penury (noun) means Extreme need or want; destitution, poverty; (countable) an instance of this.

noun

Extreme need or want; destitution, poverty; (countable) an instance of this.

Often followed by of: a lack of something; a dearth, a scarcity.

The quality of being miserly; miserliness, parsimoniousness, stinginess.

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Etymology

From Late Middle English penuri, penurie (“destitution, need, poverty; dearth, lack, scarcity”), borrowed from Latin pēnūria (“need, scarcity, want”) + Middle English -i, -ie (suffix forming abstract and collective nouns); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to paene (“almost, nearly; barely, hardly, scarcely”, adverb), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hate; to hurt”).

Rhymes for penury

bury jury fury usury Drury Maury luxury injury Fleury century mercury perjury

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Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of penury?

"penury" (noun) means extreme need or want; destitution, poverty; (countable) an instance of this.

What are the different meanings of penury?

"penury" has 3 main meanings: 1. Extreme need or want; destitution, poverty; (countable) an instance of this; 2. Often followed by of: a lack of something; a dearth, a scarcity; 3. The quality of being miserly; miserliness, parsimoniousness, stinginess.