Editing Poverty (section)

== Definitions and etymology ==
The word ''poverty'' comes from the old (Norman) French word ''poverté'' (Modern French: ''pauvreté),'' from Latin ''paupertās'' from ''pauper'' (poor).<ref>{{cite book|title=An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language|first=Walter|last=Skeat|year=2005|isbn=978-0-486-44052-1|publisher=Dover Publications}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2025}}

There are several definitions of poverty depending on the context of the situation it is placed in. It usually references a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic [[standard of living]].

[[United Nations]]: Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one's food or a job to earn one's living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Gordon |url=https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ydiDavidGordon_poverty.pdf|title=Indicators of Poverty & Hunger|publisher=United Nations|access-date=16 January 2022|archive-date=28 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628230622/http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ydiDavidGordon_poverty.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[World Bank]]: Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises many [[dimension]]s. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for [[survival skills|survival]] with dignity. Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice, and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one's life.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/0,,contentMDK:22569747~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:336992,00.html |title = Poverty and Inequality Analysis |website = worldbank.org |access-date = 27 May 2011 |archive-date = 3 June 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110603165721/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/0,,contentMDK:22569747~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:336992,00.html |url-status =dead }}</ref>

[[European Union]] (EU): The European Union's definition of poverty is significantly different from definitions in other parts of the world, and consequently policy measures introduced to combat poverty in EU countries also differ from measures in other nations. Poverty is measured in relation to the distribution of income in each member country using relative income poverty lines.<ref name="researchgate.net">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328718886|chapter= European Union Definition of Poverty|via=ResearchGate|date=November 2015|doi=10.4135/9781483345727.n270|isbn= 978-1-4833-4570-3|title= The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty|last1= Dvorak|first1= Jaroslav}}</ref> Relative-income poverty rates in the EU are compiled by the [[Eurostat]], in charge of coordinating, gathering, and disseminating member country [[statistics]] using [[European Union]] Survey of Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) surveys.<ref name="researchgate.net"/>