worthy

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See also: Worthy and -worthy

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiġ ("worthy"), equivalent to worth +‎ -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (worthy), Middle Low German werdig (worthy), German würdig (worthy), Swedish värdig (worthy), Icelandic verðugt (worthy).

Adjective[edit]

worthy (comparative worthier, superlative worthiest)

  1. Having worth, merit, or value.
  2. Admirable or honourable.
  3. Deserving, or having sufficient worth.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, [] (King James Version), London: [] Robert Barker, [], →OCLC, Revelation 5:1–4:
      1 And I saw in þe right hand of him that sate on the Throne, a booke written within, & on the backeside, sealed with seuen seales.
      2 And I saw a strong Angel proclaiming with a loude voice; Who is worthy to open the booke, and to loose the seales thereof?
      3 And no man in heauen, nor in earth, neither vnder the earth, was able to open the booke, neither to looke thereon.
      4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open, and to reade the booke, neither to looke thereon.
    • 1659, J[ohn] M[ilton], “To the Parlament of the Commonwealth of England with the Dominions therof”, in Considerations Touching the Likeliest Means to Remove Hirelings out of the Church. [], London: [] T[homas] N[ewcombe] for L[ivewell] Chapman [], →OCLC:
      [I]t is a deed of higheſt charitie to help undeceive the people, and a vvork vvorthieſt your autoritie, []
  4. Suited; suitable; befitting.
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

worthy (plural worthies)

  1. A distinguished or eminent person.
    • 1867, Journal of Agriculture, page 108:
      That worthy one day, in our absence, being caught in the act of culpable talpicide, was rebuked by his mistress for disobeying his master's orders.
Related terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English worthien, wurthien, from Old English weorþian (to esteem, honor, worship, distinguish, celebrate, exalt, praise, adorn, deck, enrich, reward), from Proto-Germanic *werþōną (to be worthy, estimate, appreciate, appraise), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (to turn, wind). Cognate with German werten (to rate, judge, grade, score), Swedish värdera (to evaluate, rate, size up, assess, estimate), Icelandic virða (to respect, esteem).

Verb[edit]

worthy (third-person singular simple present worthies, present participle worthying, simple past and past participle worthied)

  1. (transitive) To render or treat as worthy; exalt; revere; honour; esteem; respect; value; reward; adore.
    • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      And put upon him such a deal of man,
      That worthied him, got praises of the king []
    • 1880, Sir Norman Lockyer, Nature:
      After having duly paid his addresses to it, he generally spends some time on the marble slab in front of the looking-glass, but without showing the slightest emotion at the sight of his own reflection, or worthying it with a song.
    • 1908, Edward Arthur Brayley Hodgetts, The court of Russia in the nineteenth century:
      And it is a poor daub besides," the Emperor rejoined scornfully, as he stalked out of the gallery without worthying the artist with a look.
    • 1910, Charles William Eliot, The Harvard classics: Beowulf:
      No henchman he worthied by weapons, if witness his features, his peerless presence!
Derived terms[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From worth +‎ -y, from Old English weorþ.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

worthy

  1. worthy

Descendants[edit]

  • English: worthy