| Date: | 1300-1400 |
| Language: | Latin |
| Origin: | destitutus, past participle of destituere 'to set down, leave' |
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des‧ti‧tute

2 to be completely without something :
a man who is destitute of mercy
be destitute of something
literary
a man who is destitute of mercy —destitution
noun [uncountable]
WORD FOCUS: poor
noun [uncountable]
be hard up/be broke also be skint BrE informal to have very little money at the present time and be unable to buy the things that you want
destitute having no money and nowhere to live, especially because something terrible has happened
poverty-stricken very poor
➔ See also poor
