A poor state to be in (6)

I believe the answer is:

penury

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'a poor' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

I don't understand the remainder of the clue.

(Other definitions for penury that I've seen before include "Real poverty" , "Indigence, destitution" , "Destitution, need" , "Extreme destitution" , "Extreme poverty or indigence" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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