People who ask others for money or food because they are very poor, or those who beg for something desperately.
From Old French 'begard,' possibly from Dutch, related to the Beguards (a medieval religious sect). Later applied generally to anyone begging.
The phrase 'beggars can't be choosers' dates back to 1573 and has survived because it captures a harsh truth about desperation—but modern research shows beggars actually ARE choosers and often refuse certain types of aid or assistance based on dignity, showing the phrase oversimplifies human complexity. The connection between the Beguards religious group and the word shows how medieval social roles shaped our vocabulary.
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