poor
/pʊə(r)/adjective
1
- lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society穷的, 贫穷的, 贫困的：
people who were too poor to afford a telephone
穷得买不起电话的人
as noun the poor the gap between the rich and the poor has widened.贫富差距已经拉大。
1.1
- (of a place) inhabited by people without sufficient money（地方）穷人住的, 贫苦的：
Deptford is a poor area.
德特福德是个穷人区。
2
- worse than is usual, expected, or desirable; of a low or inferior standard or quality糟糕的, 不理想的; 差的, 劣的：
her work was poor
她干的活很糟糕
many people are eating a very poor diet.
很多人都吃得很差。
2.1
- predic.
poor in
deficient or lacking in缺乏的, 缺少的, 贫乏的： the water is poor in nutrients.
这种水缺少营养物质。
2.2
- dated used ironically to deprecate something belonging to or offered by oneself〈旧〉谦卑的, 卑微的, 卑下的：
he is, in my poor opinion, a more handsome young man.
以鄙人之见, 他更是一个英俊小生。
3
- attrib.(of a person) considered to be deserving of pity or sympathy（人）可怜的, 值得同情的：
they enquired after poor Dorothy's broken hip.
他们询问了可怜的多萝西折断髋骨的情况。
短语
(as) poor as a church mouse（或as church mice）
- extremely poor一贫如洗, 贫困潦倒。
poor little rich boy（或girl）
- a wealthy young person whose money brings them no contentment (often used as an expression of mock sympathy)［常用来表示含嘲弄语气的同情］可怜的小富哥（或妹）。
the poor man's -
- an inferior or cheaper substitute for the thing specified劣质的（或更便宜的）替代品：
corduroy has always been the poor man's velvet.
灯芯绒一直是天鹅绒的便宜替代品。
poor relation
- a person or thing that is considered inferior or subordinate to others of the same type or group无名小卒, 微不足道的人（或东西）：
for many years radio has been the poor relation of the media.
多年来收音机一直是媒体中微不足道的一种传播形式。
take a poor view of
- regard with disfavour or disapproval不喜欢, 看不起。
词源
Middle English: from Old French poure, from Latin pauper.