indigent
IN-dih-juhnt
/ˈɪndɪdʒənt/
Lacking the necessaries of life; suffering from extreme poverty; legally recognized as unable to pay for basic services.
Frequently used in formal legal and administrative policy contexts (e.g., 'indigent defense', 'indigent care').
The story behind the word. From Latin 'indigens', present participle of 'indigere' ('to stand in need of'). This derives from Old Latin 'indu-' (within) and 'egere' (to need, be lacking). It reached English via Old French to describe those lacking essential resources.
Word relationships
- needy: Needy is informal and conversational, while indigent is formal and administrative.
- penurious: Penurious can mean extremely poor, but it also carries a connotation of stinginess.
- wealthy: Wealthy denotes possessing abundant assets and financial independence.
Commonly confused with
- indigenous: Indigenous means native to a region, whereas indigent means economically needy.
Word family
- indigence (noun): A state of extreme poverty or financial need.
Collocations
- indigent defendant
- indigent care
- indigent population
Example sentences
- "The constitutional right to counsel guarantees a public defender for indigent defendants." Legal Defense
- "The city established a hospital dedicated exclusively to the treatment of indigent citizens." Historical Non-Fiction
Memory hook
IN DIGent: Someone who is IN NEED and has to DIG deep just to get basic food. IN DIGent = IN DIGging need.
When not to use
Rarely used in casual daily conversation; sounds overly stiff unless referring to legal or social services.
Fun facts
- In US legal parlance, an 'indigent defense system' refers specifically to public defender offices established after the landmark 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright Supreme Court decision.
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