indigence

/ˈɪndɪd͡ʒəns/

Etymology

From Middle English indigence, late 14th century, from Old French indigence (13th century), from Latin indigentia, from indigentem, form of indigēre (“to need”), from indu (“in, within”) + egēre (“be in need, want”). Only relation to antonym affluence is common Latinate suffix + -ence.

indigence means Extreme poverty or destitution. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 79 out of 100.

Why this word is great

INDIGENCE — [Noun] A state of profound, chronic need, defined not merely by material lack but by the inhabiting condition of being perpetually in want. From Middle English, from Old French indigence, from Latin indigentia, from indigēre ("to need"), from indu ("in, within") + egēre ("to be in need, to want"). Unlike penury, which sharpens the focus to a piercing financial scarcity, or destitution, which suggests a total, catastrophic deprivation, indigence is the slow, wearing tide that erodes possibility. It is the frayed cuff turned thrice to hide the shine, the specific chill of a room where the wallpaper has grown warmer than the air, and the quiet, endless calculus of whether to mend a sole with cardboard or twine. This is the life lived within the constant, tactile pressure of absence.

noun

Extreme poverty or destitution.“On Professor Solanka’s street, well-heeled white youths lounged in baggy garments on roseate stoops, stylishly simulating indigence while they waited for the billionairedom that would surely be along sometime soon.”