appauvrir

To impoverish — reduce someone or something's wealth, quality, or richness. Used for people and economies (la guerre a appauvri le pays) as well as figuratively for soil, vocabulary, or culture (appauvrir la langue).

• La crise a appauvri de nombreuses familles. — The crisis has impoverished many families.
• Cette culture intensive appauvrit les sols. — This intensive farming impoverishes the soil.
• Le texto a tendance à appauvrir le vocabulaire, selon certains. — Texting tends to impoverish vocabulary, according to some.

Learners sometimes reach for pauvre (poor, adjective) instead of the verb — "s'appauvrir" (to become impoverished) is the reflexive form to use when the subject is becoming poorer itself, not making something else poorer.