poorhouse

American  

[poor-hous] / ˈpʊərˌhaʊs /

noun

plural

poorhouses

1. (formerly) an institution in which paupers were maintained at public expense.

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poorhouse British  

/ ˈpɔː-, ˈpʊəˌhaʊs /

noun

1. (formerly) a publicly maintained institution offering accommodation to the poor

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Etymology

Origin of poorhouse

First recorded in 1735–45; poor + house

Example Sentences

Older adults were generally considered a “burden on the local taxes,” and many were either sent to poorhouses or auctioned off as farm labor.

From Salon

Their names were lost, and not much about their lives was known beyond the barest facts: an old age spent in the poorhouse, a problem with cavities.

From New York Times

When Marla Carter visits her mother-in-law at a nursing home in Owensboro, Kentucky, the scene feels more 19th-century poorhouse than modern-day America.

From Seattle Times

When Marla Carter visits her mother-in-law at a nursing home in Owensboro, Kentucky, the scene feels more 19th-century poorhouse than modern-day America.

From Seattle Times

Because no matter what distance I travel from childhood, I still feel one foot in the poorhouse.

From New York Times