Penniless

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈpɛ.nɪ.ləs/

Definitions

1. Completely lacking money or financial resources and unable to afford basic necessities
2. Devoid of any monetary means, one finds themselves unable to secure essential living expenses
3. Lacking financial resources entirely, an individual struggles to meet even the most basic needs of life

Etymology: Penniless is about as transparent as English compounds get: the noun "penny" with the suffix "-less", meaning "without". The Middle English form "penyles" or "penylees" simply described someone with no coins to their name. What makes it a little more interesting is that English did not have to invent the idea on its own. Old Norse had "penningalauss", built the same way from its word for money, so the notion of being cleaned out of cash travelled through the Scandinavian languages in much the same shape.

Synonyms: broke, impoverished, destitute, poor, needy

Antonyms: wealthy, rich, affluent