First published 1895; not yet revised More entries for "destitute"
destituteadjective & noun
Factsheet
What does the word destitute mean?
There are eight meanings listed in OED's entry for the word destitute, five of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the word destitute?
About 2occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 20 |
| 1760 | 21 |
| 1770 | 23 |
| 1780 | 25 |
| 1790 | 27 |
| 1800 | 27 |
| 1810 | 28 |
| 1820 | 29 |
| 1830 | 28 |
| 1840 | 26 |
| 1850 | 23 |
| 1860 | 19 |
| 1870 | 15 |
| 1880 | 12 |
| 1890 | 9.8 |
| 1900 | 7.5 |
| 1910 | 5.7 |
| 1920 | 4.6 |
| 1930 | 4.0 |
| 1940 | 3.5 |
| 1950 | 3.2 |
| 1960 | 2.9 |
| 1970 | 2.6 |
| 1980 | 2.2 |
| 1990 | 2.1 |
| 2000 | 2.2 |
| 2010 | 2.3 |
How is the word destitute pronounced?
British English
/ˈdɛstᵻtjuːt/
DESS-tuh-tyoot
/ˈdɛstᵻtʃuːt/
DESS-tuh-choot
U.S. English
/ˈdɛstəˌt(j)ut/
DESS-tuh-tyoot
Where does the word destitute come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the word destitute is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for destitute is from 1382, in Bible (Wycliffite, early version).
destitute is a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: Latin dēstitūtus.
Nearby entries
- destinee, n.1881–
- destinezite, n.1882–
- destining, n.c1300–1508
- destinist, n.1846–
- destinour, n.c1400
- destiny, n.1340–
- destiny, adj.?1473–1522
- destiny, v.c1400–1652
- destitue, v.c1540
- destituent, adj.1660
- destitute, adj. & n.1382–
- destitute, v.1530–
- destituted, adj.1550–
- destitutely, adv.1548–
- destituteness, n.1657–
- destituting, n.1580–
- destitution, n.a1440–
- destocking, n.1959–
- destool, v.1929–
- destour | dastur, n.1630–
- destrayt, n.1481–1500
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for destitute, adj. & n.
destitute, adj. & n. was first published in 1895; not yet revised.
destitute, adj. & n. was last modified in September 2023.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into destitute, adj. & n. in September 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1895)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for destitute, adj. & n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- destinee, n.1881–
- destinezite, n.1882–
- destining, n.c1300–1508
- destinist, n.1846–
- destinour, n.c1400
- destiny, n.1340–
- destiny, adj.?1473–1522
- destiny, v.c1400–1652
- destitue, v.c1540
- destituent, adj.1660
- destitute, adj. & n.1382–
- destitute, v.1530–
- destituted, adj.1550–
- destitutely, adv.1548–
- destituteness, n.1657–
- destituting, n.1580–
- destitution, n.a1440–
- destocking, n.1959–
- destool, v.1929–
- destour | dastur, n.1630–
- destrayt, n.1481–1500
