beggar

See also: béggar

English edit

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beggar

Wikipedia

A female beggar in Mexico

Alternative forms edit

begger (obsolete)

Etymology edit

From Middle English beggere, beggare, beggar (“beggar”), from Middle English beggen (“to beg”), equivalent to beg +‎ -ar.

Alternative etymology derives Middle English beggere, beggare, beggar from Old French begart, originally a member of the Beghards, a lay brotherhood of mendicants in the Low Countries, from Middle Dutch beggaert (“mendicant”), with pejorative suffix (see -ard); the order is said to be named after the priest Lambert le Bègue of Liège (French for “Lambert the Stammerer”).

Pronunciation edit

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛɡɚ/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛɡə/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛɡə(ɹ)

Noun edit

beggar (plural beggars)

A person who begs.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
  “ […] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.
- 1983, Stanley Rosen, Plato’s Sophist: The Drama of Original & Image, St. Augustine’s Press, p. 62:
  Odysseus has returned to his home disguised as a beggar.
A person suffering from extreme poverty.
- 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
  I'm to be a poor, crawling beggar, sponging for rum, when I might be rolling in a coach!
(colloquial, sometimes endearing) A mean or wretched person; a scoundrel.
What does that silly beggar think he's doing?
(UK) A minced oath for bugger.

Synonyms edit

(who begs): mendicant, panhandler, schnorrer, spanger, truant, see also Thesaurus:beggar
(extremely poor person): palliard, pauper, vagabond, see also Thesaurus:pauper

Derived terms edit

Terms derived from beggar (noun)

Translations edit

person who begs

Albanian: lypës (sq) m
Arabic: سَائِل m (sāʔil)
Egyptian Arabic: شحات m (šaḥḥāt)

Hijazi Arabic: شَحَّات m (šaḥḥāt)

Moroccan Arabic: سعاي m (saʕʕāy), طلاب m (ṭallāb)
Armenian: մուրացկան (hy) (muracʻkan)
Aromanian: tsiritor m, tsiritonj m, tsiripãni m, dicunjar m, proseac m, pitaci, zicljar m
Asturian: méndigu m
Azerbaijani: dilənçi (az)
Baluchi: پکیر (pakír), فقیر (faqír), پنڈوک (pinḍok)
Bashkir: хәйерсе (xəyerse)
Belarusian: жабра́к m (žabrák), жабра́чка f (žabráčka)
Bengali: ভিক্ষুক (bn) (bhikkhuk), ফকির (bn) (phokir)
Bulgarian: про́сяк (bg) m (prósjak), просяки́ня f (prosjakínja)
Burmese: သူတောင်းစား (my) (sutaung:ca:)
Catalan: mendicant (ca) m or f, captaire (ca) m or f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 乞丐 (zh) (qǐgài), 叫花子 (zh) (jiàohuāzi), 花子 (zh) (huāzi)
Cornish: beggyer m
Czech: žebrák (cs) m, žebračka f
Danish: tigger (da) c, tiggerske c (female), betler c, betlerske c (female)
Dutch: bedelaar (nl) m, bedelaarster (nl) f, bedelares (nl) f
Esperanto: almozulo, almozulino (female), almozisto, almozistino (female)
Estonian: kerjus (et)
Faroese: biddari m
Finnish: kerjäläinen (fi)
French: gueux (fr) m, gueuse (fr) f, mendiant (fr) m, mendiante (fr) f, quêteux (fr) m, quêteuse (fr) m (Quebec)
Galician: mendigo (gl) m, mendiga f, mendicante m or f
Georgian: მათხოვარი (matxovari)
German: Bettler (de) m, Bettlerin (de) f, Bettelmann m, Bettelfrau f, Bettelweib (de) f, Bettelbruder m, Bettelschwester f (female), Pracher m, Pracherin f (female)
Gothic: 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍅𐌰 m (bidagwa)
Greek: επαίτης (el) m (epaítis), ζητιάνος (el) (zitiános), ζητιάνα (el) f (zitiána)
Ancient: ἐπαίτης m (epaítēs), προσαίτης m (prosaítēs)
Hebrew: קַבּצָן m (kabtsan)
Hindi: याचक (hi) m (yācak), भिक्षुक (hi) m (bhikṣuk), भिखमंगा (hi) m (bhikhmaṅgā), भिखारी (hi) m (bhikhārī), भिखारिन f (bhikhārin)
Hungarian: koldus (hu)
Icelandic: betlari (is) m, beiningamaður m
Indonesian: pengemis (id)
Ingrian: keräjä, kerrääläin
Irish: bacach (ga) m, sirtheoir m
Italian: mendicante (it) m or f
Japanese: 乞食 (ja) (こつじき, kotsujiki, こじき, kojiki)
Khmer: អ្នកសុំទាន (nĕək som tiən)
Korean: 걸개(乞丐) (geolgae), 거지 (ko) (geoji), 걸인(乞人) (georin)
Lao: ຄົນຂໍທານ (khon khǭ thān)
Latin: mendīcus m
Latvian: ubags m, ubadze f
Lithuanian: elgeta (lt) m or f
Macedonian: питач m (pitač), питачка f (pitačka), просјак m (prosjak), просјачка f (prosjačka)
Malay: pengemis
Malayalam: ഭിക്ഷക്കാരൻ (ml) (bhikṣakkāraṉ), യാചകൻ (ml) (yācakaṉ)
Maltese: tallab m
Manchu: ᡤᡳᠣᡥᠣᡨᠣ (giohoto)
Manx: jeirkagh m
Marathi: भिकारी m (bhikārī)
Middle English: beggere
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: гуйлгачин (mn) (gujlgačin)
Navajo: adókeedí
Ngazidja Comorian: mmezi class 1/2
Norman: bédgeux m, pouqu'teux m
North Frisian:
Föhr-Amrum: beedler m, trögel m, beedelmaan m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: tigger m, betler (no) m, betlerske m or f (female)

Nynorsk: tiggar m
Pali: yācaka m
Devanagari: याचक m (yācaka)

Thai: ยาจก m (yācaka)
Persian:
Dari: گَدَا (fa) (gadā)

Iranian Persian: گِدا (fa) (gedâ)
Plautdietsch: Pracha m
Polish: żebrak (pl) m, żebraczka (pl) f
Portuguese: mendigo (pt) m, mendiga (pt) f, pedinte (pt) m or f
Punjabi: ਮੰਗਤਾ m (maṅgtā), ਮੰਗਤੀ f (maṅgtī)
Romani: čororo
Romanian: cerșetor (ro) m, cerșetoare (ro) f
Russian: попроша́йка (ru) m or f (poprošájka), нищебро́д (ru) m (niščebród)
Scottish Gaelic: baigear m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: про̏сја̄к m, просја̀киња f

Roman: prȍsjāk (sh) m, prosjàkinja (sh) f
Shan: ၵူၼ်းယွၼ်း (kúun yáun)
Sicilian: addumanneri m, addumannera f
Slovak: žobrák m, žobráčka f
Slovene: berač (sl) m, beračica f
Spanish: mendigo (es) m, mendiga (es) f, pordiosero (es), mendicante (es) m or f, limosnero (es) m
Sranan Tongo: begiman
Swahili: mwombaji (sw), ombaomba
Swedish: tiggare (sv) c, tiggerska (sv) c (female), bettlare (sv) c, bettlerska (sv) c (female)
Tagalog: pulubi, tanglo
Tajik: гадо (gado)
Tamil: please add this translation if you can
Thai: ขอทาน (th) (kɔ̌ɔ-taan)
Tibetan: སྤྲང་པོ (sprang po)
Tocharian B: yaṣṣuca
Turkish: dilenci (tr)
Tuvan: диленчи (dilençi)
Ukrainian: жебра́к m (žebrák), жебра́чка f (žebráčka)
Urdu: بِھکاری m (bhikārī), بِھکھاری m (bhikhārī), یاچَک m (yācak), بِھکْشُک m (bhikśuk)
Uzbek: gadoy (uz), tilanchi (uz)
Vietnamese: ăn xin (vi), ăn mày (vi)
Volapük: (♂♀) lubegan (vo), (♂) hilubegan, (♀) jilubegan, (collective ♂♀) lubeganef (vo), (collective ♂) hilubeganef, (collective ♀) jilubeganef
Welsh: achenog m
Yakut: умнаһыт (umnahıt)
Zhuang: gaujvaq

person suffering poverty

Arabic: فَقِير (ar) m (faqīr)
Hijazi Arabic: فَقِير m (fagīr)
Bashkir: ярлы (yarlı)
Belarusian: бяда́к m (bjadák), бяда́чка f (bjadáčka), бе́дны m (bjédny), бе́дная f (bjédnaja), бядня́к m (bjadnják), бядня́чка f (bjadnjáčka)
Bulgarian: бедня́к (bg) m (bednják), бедня́чка f (bednjáčka), сирома́х (bg) m (siromáh), сиромахки́ня f (siromahkínja)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 窮人／穷人 (zh) (qióngrén)
Czech: chudák (cs) m, chudačka f
Dutch: armoedzaaier (nl) m, bedelaar (nl) m, haveloze (nl) m
Finnish: keppikerjäläinen (fi), köyhä (fi)
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
Latvian: ubags m
Macedonian: питач m (pitač), питачка m (pitačka), просјак m (prosjak), просјачка m (prosjačka)
Middle English: beggere
Polish: biedak (pl), biedaczka (pl) f
Portuguese: mendigo (pt) m
Romani: čororo
Romanian: sărac (ro) m
Russian: ни́щий (ru) m (níščij), ни́щенка (ru) f (níščenka), ни́щая (ru) f (níščaja), бедня́к (ru) m (bednják), бедня́чка (ru) f (bednjáčka), нищебро́д (ru) m (niščebród), нищебро́дка (ru) f (niščebródka), бе́дный (ru) m (bédnyj), бе́дная (ru) f (bédnaja)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: про̏сја̄к m, просја̀киња f, сиро̀ма̄х m, сирома̀шица f

Roman: prȍsjāk (sh) m, prosjàkinja (sh) f, siròmāh (sh) m, siromàšica (sh) f
Sicilian: disgrazziatu m, mischinu (scn) m, pòviru (scn) m
Slovak: chudák m
Spanish: mendigo (es) m
Swedish: tiggare (sv) c
Thai: ยาจก (th) (yaa-jòk), ขอทาน (th) (kɔ̌ɔ-taan)
Turkish: please add this translation if you can
Ukrainian: бідня́к (uk) m (bidnják), бідня́чка (uk) f (bidnjáčka), сірома́ха m or f (siromáxa), сіро́ма (uk) m or f (siróma), біда́к (uk) m (bidák), біда́чка (uk) f (bidáčka), бі́дний (uk) m (bídnyj), бі́дна f (bídna)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Telugu: ^{(please verify)} బిచ్చగాడు (te) m (biccagāḍu), ^{(please verify)} బిచ్చగత్తె f (biccagatte)

Verb edit

beggar (third-person singular simple present beggars, present participle beggaring, simple past and past participle beggared)

(transitive) To make a beggar of someone; impoverish.
(transitive, figurative) To exhaust the resources of; to outdo or go beyond.
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
  `Now,' answered Ayesha, with proud humility - `now when my lord doth speak thus royally and give with so free a hand, it cannot become me to lag behind in words, and be beggared of my generosity.'
- 1965, Frank Herbert, Dune, 1st edition, page 109:
  It was a scene of such beauty it caught all his attention. / Some things beggar likeness, he thought.
- 1996 July 7, Angeline Goreau, “Speed”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:
  Taking the ontological temperature of today and of the pre-revolutionary 18th century, Mr. Kundera finds that the speed we love has beggared us of pleasure.