destitute
lacking basic necessities; extremely poor
Roots
- de-: down, away, reversal, reduction, or removal
- sta / stit: stand, place, or set
Other words with the sta / stit root
Sta / stit can carry set or placed. Destitute is a person left set down with support gone.
The charity focused on families left destitute after the flood.
Destitute is not just poor. The older structure points to being left without support: set down, abandoned, and lacking what life requires.