Extreme poverty and lack of the basic necessities of life. It represents the most severe form of economic hardship, where people lack food, shelter, and other essentials.
From Latin 'destituere,' meaning 'to abandon' or 'to leave destitute' (de- 'away' + statuere 'to place' or 'to establish'). The word suggests being abandoned or left without the established foundations of life.
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