impecunious
adjUK, US /ˌɪm.pəˈkjuː.ni.əs/
Etymology From im- + pecunious, from Latin pecūniōsus, from pecūnia (“money”) + -ōsus (“full of”).
1
Lacking money.
- When I, good friends, was called to the bar, I'd an appetite fresh and hearty, But I was, as many young barristers are, An impecunious party.1875 March 25, William S. Gilbert, Trial by Jury:
- "Then what became of her?" "Her? Which 'her'? The park is full of 'hers.'" "The lady with the green feathers in her hat. A big Gainsborough hat. I am quite sure it was Miss Hartuff." "Not improbably. I presume she does sometimes take the air. And possibly she may be the happy owner of a Gainsborough hat with green feathers." "Don't be frivolous, please. She was in that victoria." "Then perhaps she was too impecunious to drive both ways."February 1896, Ground-swells, by Jeannette H. Walworth, published in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine; page 183
2 more examples
- [I]t would be a simple matter, sir, to find some impecunious author who would be glad to do the actual composition of the volume for a small fee.1919, P. G. Wodehouse, “Leave it to Jeeves”, in My Man Jeeves:
- The Rhymney (51 route miles), once an impecunious hanger-on of the Taff Vale, had enjoyed its own route through Caerphilly into Cardiff since 1871, [...].1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 158:
- Related terms
- impecuniosity, impecuniously, impecuniousness, pecuniary