Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

impoverish

/ɪmˈpɒv(ə)ɹɪʃ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.93 in modern English

Syllables
im-pov-er-ish
IPA
/ɪmˈpɒv(ə)ɹɪʃ/
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make poor.

Transitive verb

verb

To weaken in quality; to deprive of some strength or richness.

Transitive verb

verb

To become poor.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English empoverishen, impoverishen, empoverischen, enpoverisshen, Anglo-Norman empoveriss-, from Old French empoverir, from em- + povre, from Latin pauper (“poor”) (English poor).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *peh₂w-, empoverishen, empoveriss-, empoverir

Usage

Inflected Forms

impoverishes (present, singular) impoverishing (participle, present) impoverished (participle, past) impoverished (past)

Derived Forms

impoverishee impoverisher impoverishment

Synonyms

empoverish immiserate poor ruin deplete beggar depauperate depauperize destitute embeggar impoor impoverish

Antonyms

enrich

Questions

How do you pronounce impoverish?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɒv(ə)ɹɪʃ/.
What does impoverish mean?
To make poor.
Where does impoverish come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce impoverish

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “impoverish”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪmˈpɒv(ə)ɹɪʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “impoverish”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “impoverish” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.