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worth¹

(wûrth)

1. The quality that renders something desirable, useful, or valuable: the worth of higher education.

2. Material or market value: stocks having a worth of ten million dollars.

3. A quantity of something that may be purchased for a specified sum or by a specified means: ten dollars' worth of natural gas; wanted their money's worth.

4. Wealth; riches: her net worth.

5. Quality that commands esteem or respect; merit: a person of great worth.

adj.

1. Equal in value to something specified: worth its weight in gold.

2. Deserving of; meriting: a proposal not worth consideration.

3. Having wealth or riches amounting to: a person worth millions.

Idioms:

for all (one) is worth

To the utmost of one's powers or ability.

for what it's worth

Even though it may not be important or valuable: Here's my advice, for what it's worth.

[Middle English, from Old English weorth; see wer-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

worth²

(wûrth)

intr.v. worthed, worth·ing, worths
Obsolete

To befall; betide.

[Middle English worthen, from Old English weorthan; see wer-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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