PENU'RIOUS, adjective [Latin penuria, scarcity, want; Gr. poor; rare.] 1. Excessively saving or sparing in the use of money; parsimonious to a fault; sordid; as a penurious man. It expresses somewhat less than niggardly. 2. Scanty; affording little; as a penurious spring.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI