Word: indigence (noun)

Associations

"Indigence" means extreme poverty or the state of being very poor. It is often used in formal or literary contexts to describe a serious lack of money and basic needs.

• Example 1: "The charity helps people living in indigence by providing food and shelter." Here, it shows people who have almost nothing.
• Example 2: "Indigence can lead to many social problems, including homelessness and poor health." This talks about the effects of being very poor.
• Example 3: "The government launched a program to reduce indigence in rural areas." This means reducing extreme poverty. A well-known synonym is "poverty." The difference is that "indigence" usually sounds more formal and emphasizes a very deep, severe level of poverty, while "poverty" is more common and general.

Substitution

You can replace "indigence" with:

• poverty (more common, less formal)
• destitution (even stronger, means having no money or resources at all)
• penury (very formal, means extreme poverty) Changing the word changes the tone: "poverty" is everyday, "indigence" and "penury" are more serious and formal.

Deconstruction

The word "indigence" comes from Latin "indigentia," from "indigens," meaning "lacking" or "in need."

• Prefix "in-" means "not" or "without."
• Root "dige-" relates to "need" or "lack."
• Suffix "-ence" turns it into a noun meaning "state or condition." So, "indigence" literally means "the state of lacking" or "being in need."

Inquiry

• Can you think of situations in your country where indigence is a big problem?
• How would you help someone who is living in indigence?
• How is indigence different from just being temporarily poor? What does it mean for a person's life?