wealth

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English welth, welthe (“happiness, prosperity”), from Old English *welþ, *welþu, from Proto-West Germanic *waliþu (“wealth”). Alternatively, possibly an alteration (due to similar words in -th: compare helth (“health”), derth (“dearth”)) of wele (“wealth, well-being, weal”), from Old English wela (“wealth, prosperity”), from Proto-Germanic *walô (“well-being, prosperity”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“good, best”); equivalent to weal +‎ -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Dutch weelde (“wealth”), Low German weelde (“wealth”), Old High German welida, welitha (“wealth”). Related also to German Wohl (“welfare, well-being, weal”), Danish vel (“weal, welfare”), Swedish väl (“well-being, weal”). More at weal, well.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wɛlθ/, [wɛl̪θ]
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛlθ

Noun

wealth (countable and uncountable, plural wealths)

  1. (uncountable, economics) Riches; a great amount of valuable assets or material possessions.
    Money talks, but true wealth whispers.
  2. (countable) A great amount; an abundance or plenty.
    She brings a wealth of knowledge to the project.
    • 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 269, about a church in Lower Peover:
      There is a wealth of carved wood inside: from pulpit to pews, screens to lectern, and a large medieval chest made from a hollowed-out log of bog-oak with a massive lid.
    • 2018 July 3, Ian Sample, “Routine DNA tests will put NHS at the 'forefront of medicine'”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      Beyond its aim to bring patients the most effective treatments faster, the service is expected to generate a wealth of data on the interplay between DNA, health and lifestyles, which will become a powerful tool for research into cancer and other diseases.
  3. (uncountable, obsolete) Prosperity; well-being; happiness.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

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References

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