Indigency
/ˈɪn.dɪ.dʒən.si/noun
The state of being indigent; extreme poverty or lack of necessities.
Did you know?Indigency belongs to a Latin word family built around indigēre, meaning “to need” or “to lack,” not originally a moral judgment about the poor.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
indigēre
“to need, lack, or be in want”
Late Latin
Latin
indigentia
“need, want, or poverty”
13th–14th Century
Old French
indigence
“poverty or lack of necessities”
14th Century
English
indigence
“extreme poverty”
17th Century
English
indigency
“the condition of being indigent or destitute”
Modern English
English
indigency
“severe poverty or material need”