Beggarly

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛɡərli/

Definitions of beggarly

adjective of or characteristic of a beggar; very poor or impoverished

Example Sentences

A1 The beggarly man asked for some spare change.

A2 She lived in a beggarly apartment with no furniture.

B1 The beggarly wages were not enough to cover basic expenses.

B2 The beggarly conditions of the orphanage shocked the visitors.

C1 Despite his beggarly appearance, he was actually a wealthy businessman.

C2 The beggarly treatment of the workers led to a strike.

Examples of beggarly in a Sentence

formal The beggarly amount of funding allocated to the arts is insufficient to support local artists.

informal I can't believe the beggarly portion of fries they gave me with my burger.

slang That beggarly excuse for a car barely made it up the hill.

figurative Her beggarly attempts at painting were no match for the masterpieces hanging in the gallery.

Grammatical Forms of beggarly

• past tense: beggarlied
• plural: beggarlies
• comparative: more beggarly
• superlative: most beggarly
• present tense: beggarlies
• future tense: will beggarly
• perfect tense: has beggarlied
• continuous tense: is beggarlying
• singular: beggarly
• positive degree: beggarly
• infinitive: to beggarly
• gerund: beggarlying
• participle: beggarlied

Origin and Evolution of beggarly

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'beggarly' originated from Middle English, derived from the Old French word 'begart' meaning 'beggar'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'beggarly' has evolved to not only describe someone who is destitute or impoverished, but also to denote something that is measly, inadequate, or inferior in quality.