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impoverish

[ im-pov-er-ish, -pov-rish ]
/ ɪmˈpɒv ər ɪʃ, -ˈpɒv rɪʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR impoverish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to reduce to poverty: a country impoverished by war.
to make poor in quality, productiveness, etc.; exhaust the strength or richness of: Bad farming practices impoverished the soil.

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having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.
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Origin of impoverish

1400–50; late Middle English empoverishen<Middle French empovriss- (long stem of empovrir), equivalent to em-em-1 + povrepoor + -iss-ish2

OTHER WORDS FROM impoverish

im·pov·er·ish·er, nounim·pov·er·ish·ment, noun

Words nearby impoverish

imposure, impotence, impotent, impound, impoundment, impoverish, impoverished, impower, impracticable, impractical, imprecate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to impoverish

exhaust, ruin, deplete, bankrupt

Example sentences from the Web for impoverish

British Dictionary definitions for impoverish

impoverish
/ (ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃ) /

verb (tr)

to make poor or diminish the quality ofto impoverish society by cutting the grant to the arts
to deprive (soil, etc) of fertility

Derived forms of impoverish

impoverisher, nounimpoverishment, noun

Word Origin for impoverish

C15: from Old French empovrir, from povre poor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012