Added 9 October 2026
beggar
/ˈbɛɡɚ/ noun
In Latin: mendīcus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about beggar at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
Be beyond the resources of.
This beggars description!
- Reduce to beggary.
Origin
From Middle English beggere, beggare, beggar (“beggar”), from Middle English beggen (“to beg”), equivalent to beg + -ar. Alternative etymology derives Middle English beggere, beggare, beggar from Old French begart, originally a member of the Beghards, a lay brotherhood of mendicants in the Low Countries, from Middle Dutch beggaert (“mendicant”), with pejorative suffix (see -ard); the order is said to be named after the priest Lambert le Bègue of Liège (French for “Lambert the Stammerer”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)