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poor farm

American  

noun

  1. a farm maintained at public expense for the housing and support of paupers.


Etymology

Origin of poor farm

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He said the tradition of covering faces with soot derived from poor farm workers in the 1400s who would use it to disguise themselves so they could beg - which was illegal at the time.

From BBC May 1, 2021

The discovery of a dragon’s egg puts a poor farm boy on the path to his destiny to be a Dragon Rider and defeat an evil king.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 24, 2020

A brief history of the Washington County poor farm, orphanage and homes for aged men and aged women is posted on the county website.

From Washington Times Dec. 29, 2019

But today, having worked his way from being a poor farm boy in the mountains to Norway’s wealthiest resident, he is not so sure independence was such a good idea.

From New York Times Feb. 8, 2014

Was it to save them from the poor farm that she had gone?

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

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