penurious

Definition

Miserly; excessively cheap.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin pēnūriōsus. See penury from Latin penuria (“want”), related to paene (“scarcely”), c. 1400. Compare French pénurie.

Example Sentences

• "The old man died a penurious wretch; eighty-thousand dollars in the mattress and as many holes in the roof."
• "The penurious stew would have been more accurately labelled broth."
• "The poor penurious horde, naught in the cooking pot and naught in the belly."

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