Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A poorhouse.
  • noun Chiefly British A home for the poor that is maintained by private charity.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A house appropriated for the use of the poor who are supported by the public or by a revenue derived from private endowment; a poor-house.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A house appropriated for the use of the poor; a poorhouse.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A building of residence for the poor, sick or elderly of a parish. Originally founded by the Church. Usually a charity relying on donations for funding.

Etymologies

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