Extremely poor and lacking money for basic needs like food and shelter.
From Latin 'indigens,' meaning 'needy,' derived from 'indigere' (to lack, to need). The word literally means 'lacking in' and has been used since the 1400s for the very poor.
While 'poor' is a neutral descriptor, 'indigent' is the legal and formal word—courts use it specifically when determining if someone qualifies for free legal representation or aid. Language reveals how differently the system talks about poverty in different contexts.
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