Added 10 October 2026
penurious
/pəˈnjʊə.ɹi.əs/ adjective
Latin root: pēnūriōsus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about penurious at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Miserly; excessively cheap.
The old man died a penurious wretch; eighty-thousand dollars in the mattress and as many holes in the roof.
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Not bountiful; thin; scant.
The penurious stew would have been more accurately labelled broth.
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Impoverished; wanting for money.
The poor penurious horde, naught in the cooking pot and naught in the belly.
Origin
From Medieval Latin pēnūriōsus. See penury from Latin penuria (“want”), related to paene (“scarcely”), c. 1400. Compare French pénurie.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)