Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
mendicity

mendicity

9.9
A situation where people ask strangers for money because they have none
  • noun
  • /mɛnˈdɪsɪti/
  • Formal
translation icon : mendicidad
  • The rise of mendicity in urban areas is alarming.

Examples

  • In the 19th century, laws against mendicity were strictly enforced in some cities.

  • After losing his job and home, he found himself in a state of mendicity.

  • Her research focused on the causes and consequences of urban mendicity.

  • Many cities struggle with issues related to mendicity.

  • The city's efforts to reduce mendicity included providing shelter and job training for the homeless.

  • He dedicated his life to helping those suffering from mendicity by setting up food banks and outreach programs.

  • The rise of mendicity in urban areas has prompted local governments to restructure their social services.

Synonyms

begging
vsmendicity
14 1.9

Asking people on the street for money or food because you are poor

describes the ongoing condition or habit rather than single acts
mendicancy
vsmendicity
  • Formal
9.9

To ask people for money or food in public because you have none

has identical meaning but is an alternate form of the same word
beggary
vsmendicity
8.2

The state of being very poor and having to beg for money or food

focuses on the practice causing hardship rather than the poverty itself

Antonyms

independence
608 3.0

Freedom from control by others, for example when a country is free or a person supports themselves

self-sufficiency
14 5.6

Being able to meet your own needs without help from others

Surface Forms

mendicity singular
mendicities plural

Morphology

mendicity = mendic + ity

Although the form ultimately derives from a Latin combining form meaning 'begging', the root 'mendic' is not a productive standalone English word and the overall meaning is unlikely to be guessed by an average B1 learner (and could be confused with 'mend' meaning 'repair').

Etymology

The word mendicity comes from the Latin word mendicus, which means 'beggar'. The related English word mendicant means a person who begs, so mendicity means the state or practice of begging.