worth

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, Australia) IPA(key): /ˈwɜːθ/ (General American) IPA(key): /wɝθ/ (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /ˈwəːθ/ (New Zealand, Wales) IPA(key): /ˈwøːθ/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /ˈwʌɾθ/ (Liverpool, fair–fur merger) IPA(key): /ˈweːθ/ (Humberside, Teesside, fair–fur merger) IPA(key): /ˈwɛːθ/ Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)θ === Etymology 1 === From Middle English worth, from Old English weorþ, from Proto-West Germanic *werþ, from Proto-Germanic *werþaz (“worthy, valuable”); from Proto-Indo-European *wert-. Cognate with Scots wirth (“worth”), Cimbrian bèart (“worth, value”), Dutch waard, weerd (“worth”), German wert (“worth”) (the source of Polish wart (“worth”), Ukrainian вартість (vartistʹ, “worth, value”), etc), Luxembourgish wäert (“worth”), Yiddish ווערט (vert), ווערד (verd, “worth, value”), Danish værd (“worth”), Faroese and Icelandic verður (“worth”), Norwegian Bokmål verdt (“worth”), Norwegian Nynorsk verd (“worth”), Swedish värd (“worth”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸 (wairþ, “worth, value”), Welsh gwerth (“worth, value”). ==== Adjective ==== worth (not comparable) Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for. Deserving of. (obsolete, except in Scots) Valuable, worthwhile. 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". ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== worth (countable and uncountable, plural worths) (countable, uncountable) Value. (uncountable) Merit, excellence. (uncountable) An amount that could be achieved or produced in a specified time. (uncountable, obsolete) High social standing, noble rank. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English worthen, wurthen, werthen (“to be; exist; come into being; come into existence”), from Old English weorþan (“to come into being; be made; become; arise; be”), from Proto-West Germanic *werþan, from Proto-Germanic *werþaną (“to come about; happen; come into being; become”), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn; turn out”). Cognate with Dutch worden, dated Low German warrn, German werden, Old Norse verða (Norwegian verta, Swedish varda), Latin vertere. ==== Alternative forms ==== word ==== Verb ==== worth (third-person singular simple present worths, present participle worthing, simple past worth or worthed, past participle worth or worthed or worthen) (obsolete, except in set phrases or dialectal) To be, become, betide. (May good fortune befall you, my friend.) ===== Derived terms ===== forworth === References === “worth”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “worth”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “worth”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. Joan Maling (1983), Transitive Adjectives: A Case of Categorial Reanalysis, in F. Henry and B. Richards (eds.), Linguistic Categories: Auxiliaries and Related Puzzles, vol.1, pp. 253-289. === Anagrams === throw, whort, wroth == Cornish == === Alternative forms === orth === Etymology === Permanently lenited form of gorth. === Adverb === worth alternative form of orth (“at, against”) ==== Usage notes ==== When compared to orth, this word is used much less frequently. ==== Inflection ==== ==== Derived terms ==== == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from English worth it. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /wɔʁs/ === Adjective === worth (slang) Worth doing; worth the time, effort, etc. == Scots == === Etymology === From Old English weorþ. === Adjective === worth (comparative mair worth, superlative maist worth) Valuable, worth while.