Result from Foreign Dictionaries (3 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Poor \Poor\, a. [Compar. {Poorer} (?; 254); superl. {Poorest}.] [OE. poure or povre, OF. povre, F. pauvre, L. pauper; the first syllable of which is probably akin to paucus few (see {Paucity}, {Few}), and the second to parare to prepare, procure. See {Few}, and cf. {Parade}, {Pauper}, {Poverty}.] 1. Destitute of property; wanting in material riches or goods; needy; indigent. [1913 Webster] Note: It is often synonymous with indigent and with necessitous denoting extreme want. It is also applied to persons who are not entirely destitute of property, but who are not rich; as, a poor man or woman; poor people. [1913 Webster] 2. (Law) So completely destitute of property as to be entitled to maintenance from the public. [1913 Webster] 3. Hence, in very various applications: Destitute of such qualities as are desirable, or might naturally be expected; as: (a) Wanting in fat, plumpness, or fleshiness; lean; emaciated; meager; as, a poor horse, ox, dog, etc. "Seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed." --Gen. xli. 19. (b) Wanting in strength or vigor; feeble; dejected; as, poor health; poor spirits. "His genius . . . poor and cowardly." --Bacon. (c) Of little value or worth; not good; inferior; shabby; mean; as, poor clothes; poor lodgings. "A poor vessel." --Clarendon. (d) Destitute of fertility; exhausted; barren; sterile; -- said of land; as, poor soil. (e) Destitute of beauty, fitness, or merit; as, a poor discourse; a poor picture. (f) Without prosperous conditions or good results; unfavorable; unfortunate; unconformable; as, a poor business; the sick man had a poor night. (g) Inadequate; insufficient; insignificant; as, a poor excuse. [1913 Webster] That I have wronged no man will be a poor plea or apology at the last day. --Calamy. [1913 Webster] 4. Worthy of pity or sympathy; -- used also sometimes as a term of endearment, or as an expression of modesty, and sometimes as a word of contempt. [1913 Webster] And for mine own poor part, Look you, I'll go pray. --Shak. [1913 Webster] Poor, little, pretty, fluttering thing. --Prior. [1913 Webster] 5. Free from self-assertion; not proud or arrogant; meek. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." --Matt. v. 3. [1913 Webster] {Poor law}, a law providing for, or regulating, the relief or support of the poor. {Poor man's treacle} (Bot.), garlic; -- so called because it was thought to be an antidote to animal poison. [Eng] --Dr. Prior. {Poor man's weatherglass} (Bot.), the red-flowered pimpernel ({Anagallis arvensis}), which opens its blossoms only in fair weather. {Poor rate}, an assessment or tax, as in an English parish, for the relief or support of the poor. {Poor soldier} (Zool.), the friar bird. {The poor}, those who are destitute of property; the indigent; the needy. In a legal sense, those who depend on charity or maintenance by the public. "I have observed the more public provisions are made for the poor, the less they provide for themselves." --Franklin. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Poor \Poor\, n. (Zool.) A small European codfish ({Gadus minutus}); -- called also {power cod}. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: poor adj 1: deserving or inciting pity; "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"; "the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy; "piteous appeals for help"; "pitiable homeless children"; "a pitiful fate"; "Oh, you poor thing"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "a wretched life" [syn: {hapless}, {miserable}, {misfortunate}, {pathetic}, {piteous}, {pitiable}, {pitiful}, {poor}, {wretched}] 2: having little money or few possessions; "deplored the gap between rich and poor countries"; "the proverbial poor artist living in a garret" [ant: {rich}] 3: characterized by or indicating poverty; "the country had a poor economy"; "they lived in the poor section of town" [ant: {rich}] 4: lacking in specific resources, qualities or substances; "a poor land"; "the area was poor in timber and coal"; "food poor in nutritive value" [ant: {rich}] 5: not sufficient to meet a need; "an inadequate income"; "a poor salary"; "money is short"; "on short rations"; "food is in short supply"; "short on experience" [syn: {inadequate}, {poor}, {short}] 6: unsatisfactory; "a poor light for reading"; "poor morale"; "expectations were poor" n 1: people without possessions or wealth (considered as a group); "the urban poor need assistance" [syn: {poor people}, {poor}] [ant: {rich}, {rich people}]