without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.
2.
deprived of, devoid of, or lacking (often fol. by of): destitute of children.
–verb (used with object)
3.
to leave destitute.
Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L dēstitūtus (ptp. of dēstituere to abandon, deprive of support), equiv. to dē-de-+ stit- place, put (comb. form of statuere;see statute) + -ū- thematic vowel + -tus ptp. suffix
c.1382, from L. destitutus "abandoned," pp. of destituere "forsake," from de- "away" + statuere "put, place," caus. of stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Originally literal; sense of "lacking resources, impoverished" is c.1540.
[des-ti-toot, -tyoot] 
adjective, verb, -tut⋅ed, -tut⋅ing.