I. ˈbegə(r), -āg- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English beggare, beggere, from beggen to beg + -are, -ere -er — more at beg
1.
a. : one that begs ; especially : one that lives by asking for gifts
b. : one that asks (as for a gift) earnestly or humbly
he must be a good beggar — money raiser the vestries call it — Nelson Rightmyer
2. : a poor or impoverished person
this system only created beggars, completely dependent on outside help — Darcy Ribeiro
3. : fellow
the poor little beggars in the orphanages
a good-hearted beggar
II. transitive verb
( beggared ; beggared ; beggaring -g(ə)riŋ ; beggars )
1. : to reduce to beggary : impoverish
wars that beggar a nation
: reduce the value of
beggaring the very policy he was advocating — Time
2. : to reduce to inadequacy : exceed the resources of
the costumes of the performers almost beggar description — Bess A. Garner