Impoverish

Impoverish is a transitive verb meaning to make someone or something poor or poorer, often by depriving them of money, resources, or opportunities. It can also mean to reduce the richness or quality of something, such as land, culture, or ecosystems. The noun form is impoverishment, used to describe the process or result of becoming or being impoverished.

Origin: from im- (into) + poverty, with roots in Old French pover or Latin paupertas; the word entered English in the late Middle Ages and is used in both literal and figurative senses.

Common usage: to impoverish a community or to impoverish a nation’s workforce describes policies, sanctions, or disasters that cause a decline in living standards. Impoverishment of soils is a term used in agriculture to describe nutrient depletion or degradation that lowers productivity, and can apply to ecosystems more broadly.

Related terms: poverty, deprivation, destitution, impoverishment, degradation.