Impecunious

Definition: having little or no money

“Pecuniary” means something related to money or wealth. The “im” prefix means “the opposite of.”

Why I Looked It Up

In a discussion of Louisa Alcott, the author of Little Women:

The family lived in poverty, as the impecunious Bronson Alcott pursued a series of reform activities…

Wikipedia describes Bronson (Louisa’s father) as a “teacher, philosopher, and reformer.” One can imagine that doesn’t pay well.

Alcott founded Fruitlands, a transcendentalist experiment in community living. The project failed after seven months. Alcott and his family struggled financially for most of his life.