DESTITUTE

barren, destitute, devoid, free, innocent

(adjective) completely wanting or lacking; “writing barren of insight”; “young recruits destitute of experience”; “innocent of literary merit”; “the sentence was devoid of meaning”

destitute, impoverished, indigent, necessitous, needy, poverty-stricken

(adjective) poor enough to need help from others

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology 1

Adjective

destitute (comparative more destitute, superlative most destitute)

(followed by the preposition "of") Lacking something; devoid

lacking money; poor, impoverished

Synonyms

• See also impoverished

Etymology 2

Verb

destitute (third-person singular simple present destitutes, present participle destituting, simple past and past participle destituted)

(transitive) To impoverish; to strip of wealth, resources, etc.

Source: Wiktionary

Des"ti*tute, a. Etym: [L. destitutus, p. p. of destituere to set away, leave alone, forsake; de + statuere to set. See Statute.]

1. Forsaken; not having in possession (something necessary, or desirable); deficient; lacking; devoid; -- often followed by of. In thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. Ps. cxli. 8. Totally destitute of all shadow of influence. Burke.

2. Not possessing the necessaries of life; in a condition of want; needy; without possessions or resources; very poor. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented. Heb. xi. 37.

Des"ti*tute, v. t.

1. To leave destitute; to forsake; to abandon. [Obs.] To forsake or destitute a plantation. Bacon.

2. To make destitute; to cause to be in want; to deprive; -- followed by of. [Obs.] Destituted of all honor and livings. Holinshed.

3. To disappoint. [Obs.] When his expectation is destituted. Fotherby.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition