poverty-stricken
Meaning
suffering from extreme poverty; very poor.
characterized by or indicative of severe lack of money and resources.
Structure
Usage
the charity provides aid to poverty-stricken regions of the country.
despite being born in a poverty-stricken family, she achieved great success through education.
the documentary highlighted the daily struggles of poverty-stricken households.
Etymology
the compound adjective "poverty-stricken" is a relatively modern formation, emerging in the 19th century by combining the noun "poverty" with the participial adjective "stricken." the word "poverty" has a long lineage, tracing back to latin 'paupertās', which itself derives from 'pauper' meaning "poor," a word possibly formed from 'paucus' (little) and 'parĕre' (to produce, bring forth), suggesting a lack of resources. "stricken," from the old english verb 'strīcan', evolved from meanings of moving or stroking to that of delivering a blow. in this compound, "stricken" metaphorically extends from being physically struck to being afflicted or overwhelmed by a condition, in this case, poverty. thus, the literal morphemic logic paints a vivid picture of a person or community profoundly afflicted by the condition of being poor.
Analysis
- poverty: from old french 'poverte', from latin 'paupertās' (poverty), from 'pauper' (poor). functions as the core noun denoting the condition. - stricken: past participle of 'strike', from old english 'strīcan' (to go, move, strike). functions as an adjective-forming suffix meaning "afflicted or affected by (something)".