Bury penniless playwright (5)
I believe the answer is:
inter
'bury' is the definition.
(to inter is to put into the ground)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for inter that I've seen before include "Prefix for between - bury it" , "Bury (or, perhaps, Milan)" , "Cover" , "somewhere between ..." , "I rent (anag.)" .)