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   im·pov·er·ish

   /imˈpäv(ə)riSH/

   verb

   • 1. make (a person or area) poor: "they discourage investment and impoverish their people" Similar make poormake pennilessreduce to penuryreduce to destitutionbring to ruinbring someone to their kneesbankruptruinmake insolventwipe outclean outbreakcripplerare:pauperizebeggarOpposite make wealthy
   • ▪ exhaust the strength or vitality of: "the soil was impoverished by annual burning" Similar weakensapexhaustdrainemptydiminishdepleteenervatesuck dryinformal:bleedOpposite strengthenenrich

   Word Origin late Middle English (formerly also as empoverish): from Old French empoveriss-, lengthened stem of empoverir, based on povre ‘poor’.

   Scrabble Points: 20

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