poor

Everyday

1. Poor means having very little money and few things, so that it is hard to pay for food, a home or clothes. tree →
2. Poor means not good enough, low in quality: poor work, poor light, poor health. tree →
3. We say «poor» when we feel sorry for someone: «Poor puppy, it is cold.» tree →
4. Poor at something means not skilled at it. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and stories it tells the reader that someone has little money or that something went badly; in stories «poor» before a name shows the narrator feels sorry for that character. In science, «poor» describes weak results: a poor conductor of heat lets little heat through. Common phrases: poor thing, poor health, poor eyesight, poor weather, a poor mark, poor at spelling, the rich and the poor.

Examples

• The family was too poor to buy a car, so they took the bus. tree →
• My handwriting is poor when I write too fast. tree →
• Poor Max fell off his bike and scraped his knee. tree →
• Wood is a poor conductor of heat, so the spoon handle stays cool. tree →
• The light was too poor to read by, so I switched on the lamp. tree →
• I am poor at catching but good at running. tree →
• Charities collect food for poor families at Christmas. tree →
• The plants grew badly in the poor, dry soil. tree →
• "Poor little fellow!" said Mr. Fitz-war-ren. tree →

Note

Adjective: poor, poorer, poorest. «The poor» means poor people in general and takes a plural verb: «The poor need help.» Do not confuse with «pour» (to tip liquid out) and «pore» (a tiny hole in skin, or to study closely) — they can sound the same. Poor (sorry for) does not mean the person has no money: «Poor Gran has a cold.» Opposite of the money sense: rich; of the quality sense: good.

In Jewish tradition

The Torah commands justice for the poor and also forbids favoring them wrongly in court. Giving to the poor (tzedakah) is a duty, and a poor man's cloak taken as a pledge must be returned by nightfall.

Interpretation. The rabbis taught that a judge must be fair to rich and poor alike. They taught that tzedakah is not just kindness but a matter of justice.

Examples

• neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause. (Torah EXO.23.3, JPS 1917) tree →
• Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. (Torah EXO.23.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• And if he be a poor man, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge; (Torah DEU.24.12, JPS 1917) tree →
• Both low and high, rich and poor together. (Writings PSA.49.3, JPS 1917) tree →
• The poor useth entreaties; but the rich answereth impudently. (Writings PRO.18.23, JPS 1917) tree →
• So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. (Writings JOB.5.16, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Adjective: poor, poorer, poorest. «The poor» means poor people in general and takes a plural verb: «The poor need help.» Do not confuse with «pour» (to tip liquid out) and «pore» (a tiny hole in skin, or to study closely) — they can sound the same. Poor (sorry for) does not mean the person has no money: «Poor Gran has a cold.» Opposite of the money sense: rich; of the quality sense: good.