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WORTH
worth
(adjective) having a specified value; ânot worth his saltâ; âworth her weight in goldâ; âan appraisal determined the antique carved chair was worth $900â
deserving, worth
(adjective) (often used ironically) worthy of being treated in a particular way; âan idea worth consideringâ; âthe deserving poorâ; âa deserving causeâ
worth
(noun) the quality that renders something desirable or valuable or useful
Worth, Charles Frederick Worth
(noun) French couturier (born in England) regarded as the founder of Parisian haute couture; noted for introducing the bustle (1825-1895)
worth
(noun) an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value; â10 dollars worth of gasolineâ
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Adjective
worth (not comparable)
Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for.
Deserving of.
(obsolete, except in Scots) Valuable, worth while.
Making a fair equivalent of, repaying or compensating.
Usage notes
The modern adjectival senses of worth compare two noun phrases, prompting some sources to classify the word as a preposition. Most, however, list it an adjective, some with notes like "governing a noun with prepositional force." Fowler's Modern English Usage says, "the adjective worth requires what is most easily described as an object."
Joan Maling (1983) shows that worth is best analysed as a preposition rather than an adjective. CGEL (2002) analyzes it as an adjective.
Compare
• Organic strawberries are worth paying extra money for.
• It's worth paying extra money for organic strawberries.
When "worth" is used as an adjective of a subject, the verb "to be" (usually associated with "worth") is singular or plural in accordance with the subject (in the first example, in the plural). In the other case, shown in the second example, the subject is the pronoun "it".
Noun
worth (countable and uncountable, plural worths)
(countable) Value.
(uncountable) Merit, excellence.
(uncountable) Wealth, fortune, riches, property, possessions.
Etymology 2
Verb
worth (third-person singular simple present worths, present participle worthing, simple past worthed or worth, past participle worthed or worthen or worth)
(obsolete, except in set phrases) To be, become, betide.
Anagrams
• throw, whort, wroth
Etymology
Proper noun
Worth
A village in Kent, England.
A village in West Sussex, England.
A surname.
Anagrams
• throw, whort, wroth
Source: Wiktionary
Worth, v. i. Etym: [OE. worthen, wurĂen, to become, AS. weorthan; akin to OS. werthan, D. worden, G. werden, OHG. werdan, Icel. vertha, Sw. varda, Goth. waĂrpan, L. vertere to turn, Skr. vrt, v. i., to turn, to roll, to become. *143. Cf. Verse, -ward, Weird.]
Definition: To be; to become; to betide; -- now used only in the phrases, woe worth the day, woe worth the man, etc., in which the verb is in the imperative, and the nouns day, man, etc., are in the dative. Woe be to the day, woe be to the man, etc., are equivalent phrases. I counsel . . . to let the cat worthe. Piers Plowman. He worth upon [got upon] his steed gray. Chaucer.
Worth, a. Etym: [OE. worth, wurĂ, AS. weorth, wurE; akin to OFries. werth, OS. werth, D. waard, OHG. werd, G. wert, werth, Icel. verthr, Sw. vĂ€rd, Dan. vĂŠrd, Goth. waĂrps, and perhaps to E. wary. Cf. Stalwart, Ware an article of merchandise, Worship.]
1. Valuable; of worthy; estimable; also, worth while. [Obs.] It was not worth to make it wise. Chaucer.
2. Equal in value to; furnishing an equivalent for; proper to be exchanged for. A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats. Shak. All our doings without charity are nothing worth. Bk. of Com. Prayer. If your arguments produce no conviction, they are worth nothing to me. Beattie.
3. Deserving of; -- in a good or bad sense, but chiefly in a good sense. To reign is worth ambition, though in hell. Milton. This is life indeed, life worth preserving. Addison.
4. Having possessions equal to; having wealth or estate to the value of. At Geneva are merchants reckoned worth twenty hundred crowns. Addison. Worth while, or Worth the while. See under While, n.
Worth, n. Etym: [OE. worth, wurĂ, AS. weorth, wurth; weorth, wurth, adj. See Worth, a.]
1. That quality of a thing which renders it valuable or useful; sum of valuable qualities which render anything useful and sought; value; hence, often, value as expressed in a standard, as money; equivalent in exchange; price. What 's worth in anything But so much money as 't will bring Hudibras.
2. Value in respect of moral or personal qualities; excellence; virtue; eminence; desert; merit; usefulness; as, a man or magistrate of great worth. To be of worth, and worthy estimation. Shak. As none but she, who in that court did dwell, Could know such worth, or worth describe so well. Waller. To think how modest worth neglected lies. Shenstone.
Syn.
– Desert; merit; excellence; price; rate.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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ANALYSIS
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., âthe father of the brideâ instead of âthe brideâs fatherâ
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