Added 10 October 2026
penniless
/ˈpɛ.nɪ.ləs/ adjective
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about penniless at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Lacking even the smallest amount of money.
In societies without national insurance of any kind, almshouses are the last refuge of penniless people.
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Of a country's system of money, abstaining from the use of penny coins, despite having fully decimalized currency, by means of rounding of cash transactions (but not necessarily of cashless ones).
Canada became a penniless country in 2013 simply by rounding its cash transactions to the nearest nickel but otherwise not changing anything.
Origin
From Middle English penyles, penylees; equivalent to penny + -less. Compare Old Norse penningalauss (“penniless”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)