Extremely poor in quality or quantity; mean or stingy, like what a beggar might possess or offer.
From 'beggar' + '-ly' (Old English '-lic,' meaning 'of the nature of'). Emerged in Middle English to describe something inadequate or miserable.
This word reveals how poverty became metaphorical—calling a gift 'beggarly' doesn't mean a beggar gave it, but that it's so small it seems unworthy. Language often judges through the lens of social status.
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