Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pauper

/ˈpoːpə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.78 in modern English

Syllables: pau-per
IPA: /ˈpoːpə/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who is extremely poor.

noun

One living on or eligible for public charity.

verb

To make a pauper of; to drive into poverty.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"He has hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank, and he lives like a pauper!"
"“There’s no sense in you paupering yourself because you’re too stubborn to take my money.” ¶ “I’m not paupering myself.”"

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin pauper (“poor”). Originally a legal term. Doublet of poor.

Word Breakdown

Root: *peh₂w-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpoːpə/
British English: /ˈpɔːpə/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

paupers (plural) paupers (present, singular) paupering (participle, present) paupered (participle, past) paupered (past)

Derived Forms

dispauper pauperdom pauperess pauperism pauperize

Phrases

pauper's funeral pauper's grave pauci- in forma pauperis

Frequently Paired Words

depauperate pauci- vagabond impoverished poverty in forma pauperis

Synonyms

bankrupt beggar indigent insolvent have not lack-all Lazarus pauper penny-father poor

Homonyms

popper (cot–caught merger)

Antonyms

moneybags plutocrat tycoon

Rhymes With

lauper

Questions

How do you pronounce pauper?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpoːpə/.
What does pauper mean?: One who is extremely poor.
Where does pauper come from?: Learned borrowing from Latin pauper (“poor”). Originally a legal term. Doublet of poor.

How to pronounce pauper

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pauper”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpoːpə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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