*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -penia

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁-der. Ancient Greek πένομαι (pénomai) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Proto-Hellenic *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek πένης (pénēs) Proto-Indo-Europ

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

deficiency

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁-der. Ancient Greek πένομαι (pénomai) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-ēs Proto-Hellenic *-ēs Ancient Greek -ης (-ēs) Ancient Greek πένης (pénēs) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā) Ancient Greek πενῐ́ᾱ (penĭ́ā)bor. English -penia Borrowed from Ancient Greek πενῐ́ᾱ (penĭ́ā, “poverty, lack”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "grc:πενῐ́ᾱ<t:poverty, lack>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁-der.\nAncient Greek πένομαι (pénomai)\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *-ēs\nProto-Hellenic *-ēs\nAncient Greek -ης (-ēs)\nAncient Greek πένης (pénēs)\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂\nProto-Hellenic *-íā\nAncient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā)\nAncient Greek πενῐ́ᾱ (penĭ́ā)bor.\nEnglish -penia\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"poverty, lack\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"poor\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*(s)penh₁-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πένομαι\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-ēs\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjectival suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"athematic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-ēs\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ης\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πένης\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*-i-eh₂\", \"id\" : \"i-extension\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"o-grade\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"collective nouns\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-h₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éh₂\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*-íā\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ίᾱ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πενῐ́ᾱ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-penia\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-penia\">\nBorrowed from Ancient Greek πενῐ́ᾱ (penĭ́ā, “poverty, lack”)."
    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "grc:πενῐ́ᾱ<t:poverty, lack>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *(s)penh₁-der.\nAncient Greek πένομαι (pénomai)\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *-ēs\nProto-Hellenic *-ēs\nAncient Greek -ης (-ēs)\nAncient Greek πένης (pénēs)\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂\nProto-Hellenic *-íā\nAncient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā)\nAncient Greek πενῐ́ᾱ (penĭ́ā)bor.\nEnglish -penia\nBorrowed from Ancient Greek πενῐ́ᾱ (penĭ́ā, “poverty, lack”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*(s)penh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)penh₁-"
    ],
    [
      "πένομαι",
      "πένομαι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*-os",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-os#Proto-Indo-European:_athematic"
    ],
    [
      "*-ēs",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-ēs#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectival_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "-ης",
      "-ης#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "πένης",
      "πένης#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*-h₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-h₂#Proto-Indo-European:_collective_nouns"
    ],
    [
      "*-éh₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éh₂#Proto-Indo-European:_o-grade"
    ],
    [
      "*-i-eh₂",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éh₂#Proto-Indo-European:_i-extension"
    ],
    [
      "*-íā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/-íā"
    ],
    [
      "-ίᾱ",
      "-ία#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "πενῐ́ᾱ",
      "πενία#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "πενῐ́ᾱ",
      "πενία#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "deficiency"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "69647c5da6db509c6b56e1e9d9ffce52337c48e00cf83676ad5ea9baa20114cc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cab556c9d67e7d79de648fabb1d3f924dfb1db1469e8e4b12a5aa736882abe74",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1933526
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -penia →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXBlbmlh