Penniless
/ˈpɛn.i.ləs/noun
Having no money or very little money.
Did you know?The word is built from penny + -less, and penny itself goes back to a Germanic coin name ultimately tied to a word for a stamped or struck piece of money.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
pening
“a coin or penny”
Middle English
ME
penniless
“having no pennies; destitute”
16th Century
English
pennyles
“without money”
Modern English
English
penniless
“having no money”