poor-house

A family receives a meal at the local poor-house.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Public institution for the poor: A "poor-house" (also spelled "poorhouse") is a historically used term for a publicly funded facility where destitute people, especially the elderly, ill, or disabled, were provided with basic shelter, food, and care in exchange for labor. It functioned as a form of social welfare before modern social security systems.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In the 19th century, many elderly people who could not support themselves were sent to the poor-house. (A public institution for the destitute.)
  • The town's poor-house was overcrowded and unsanitary, reflecting the harsh conditions of the time. (A facility housing the poor.)
  • After losing his job and home, he feared ending up in the poor-house. (A place of last resort for the financially ruined.)

Advanced Usage

• "to end up in the poor-house": to become so poor that one must live in a public institution for the destitute.

  • If he doesn't find work soon, he might end up in the poor-house. (To fall into extreme poverty requiring institutional care.)

• "poor-house mentality": a mindset of extreme frugality or fear of poverty, often resulting from past deprivation.

  • Her grandmother's poor-house mentality made her save every scrap of food. (A psychological attitude shaped by the threat of destitution.)

Variants and Related Words

• Poorhouse (n): alternative spelling of "poor-house," more common in modern usage.

  • The old poorhouse was converted into a museum. (The building that once served as a home for the poor.)

• Poor (adj): lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society.

  • The family was too poor to afford a doctor. (Lacking material wealth.)

• House (n): a building for human habitation.

  • They lived in a small house near the river. (A place to live.)

Synonyms

• Workhouse: a similar institution where the poor were required to work for their keep, especially in Britain.

  • Conditions in the workhouse were notoriously harsh. (A public institution for the poor with mandatory labor.)

• Almshouse: a charitable institution providing housing for the elderly or poor, often funded by private donations.

  • The almshouse offered a dignified place for the aged poor. (A charitable home for the needy.)

• Poor farm: a farm where the poor were housed and made to work, common in rural areas.

  • The county poor farm provided food and shelter in exchange for labor. (A farm-based poorhouse.)

Related Idioms

• From rags to riches, and back to the poor-house: describing a dramatic rise and fall in fortune.

  • He inherited a fortune, squandered it, and ended up from rags to riches, and back to the poor-house. (A cycle of extreme wealth and poverty.)

• Poor-house politics: political rhetoric that appeals to fears of poverty or economic decline.

  • The candidate's poor-house politics warned of economic disaster if his opponent won. (Fear-based political messaging about destitution.)