impoverish
verb/ɪmˈpɒv(ə)ɹɪʃ/
Etymology From Middle English empoverishen, impoverishen, empoverischen, enpoverisshen, Anglo-Norman empoveriss-, from Old French empoverir, from em- + povre, from Latin pauper (“poor”) (English poor).
1
To make poor.
2
To weaken in quality; to deprive of some strength or richness.
- That exuberant crop quickly impoverishes any fertile soil.
- To many of us, organized religion is obnoxious. Yet if we throw out the sense of peace, order and joy that flows from religious ritual, we impoverish ourselves.1979 December 22, Nancy Walker, “The Reaffirmation of Life”, in Gay Community News, volume 2, number 22, page 16:
3
To become poor.
- Synonyms
- beggar, depauperate, depauperize, destitute, embeggar, empoverish, immiserate, impoor, impoverish, pauperize, poor, poverish, ruin
- Antonyms
- enrich
- Derived terms
- impoverishee, impoverisher, impoverishment
- Hypernyms
- deprive
- Hyponyms
- bankrupt