What is the Latin word for poverty?

The usual Latin words for “poverty” are meō, paupertās, tenuitās; also egestās, inops, mendīcitās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“poverty” in Latin

meōto go along, pass or traverse paupertāsthe state of being poor, poverty; need, indigence; the state of being poor or lacking in the sense of something needed o tenuitāsthinness, fineness, delicateness; poverty; frugality egestāsneed, want, poverty inopshelpless, destitute, indigent, poor; deprived, lacking, needy (+ genitive or ab + ablative); mean, wretched, contemptibl mendīcitāsbeggary, mendicity, pauperism, indigence

The English word poverty itself goes back to Latin pauper, through paupertās.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

poverty

Want of money or means of subsistence, paupertas, angustiae rei familiaris, difficultas domestica (of those who have barely enough for necessary expenses, πενία: ☞ Pauperies is only poetic): tenuitas (of those who have a very small income or fortune): egestas (of those in want of things necessary, whether the necessity be natural or acquired): inopia (deep poverty, helpless need): mendicitas (the poverty of a beggar, beggary, πτωχεία). (The words are found in this connection and order.) egestas ac mendicitas. To live in poverty, parce ac duriter vitam agere; tenuiter vivere (Ter., Phorm., 1, 2, 95): to live in great poverty, vitam in egestate degere; vitam inopem colere: to fall into poverty [Vid: “To grow POOR”]: to fall into deep poverty, ad pudendam inopiam delabi (of a family): to plunge anyone into poverty, aliquem ad paupertatem protrahere, ad inopiam redigere, ad famam rejicere: to plunge one’s self into great poverty, se detrudere in mendicitatem: to bear or endure poverty, paupertatem perferre; (very great) inopiam tolerare; mendicitatem perpeti: to rise from poverty, ex mendicitate emergere.

Poorness, want, deficiency, egestas; inopia. Poverty of intellect or wit, animi egestas (Cic., Pis., 11, in.): tenuis et angusta ingenii vena (Quint., 6, 2, 3): poverty of expression, inopia (Cic., Brut., 55, 202; where we find paupertas et jejunitas): poverty of words (in conversation), sermonis inopia (Sen., Benef., 2, 27, 1).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for poverty?: The usual Latin words for “poverty” are meō, paupertās, tenuitās; also egestās, inops, mendīcitās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.