Meanings
nounsubmerged tenth (uncountable)
- dateduncountableThe poorest ten percent of the population.
Origin
Coined by British Methodist preacher William Booth in 1890 in In Darkest England and the Way Out.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
submerged tenth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/submerged%20tenth
MLA
“submerged tenth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/submerged%20tenth. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “submerged tenth,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/submerged%20tenth.
Source: submerged tenth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.