welfare
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English welfare, probably from the Old English phrase wel faran (“to fare well, get along successfully, prosper”) (cognate with Middle Low German wolvare (“welfare”), Old Norse velferð, Swedish välfärd and Dutch welvaart.) Equivalent to well + fare.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɛlˌfɛə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɛlˌfɛɚ/
Noun[edit]
welfare (countable and uncountable, plural welfares)
- (uncountable) Health, safety, happiness and prosperity; well-being in any respect.
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1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 19, The Mirror and the Lamp:
- Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.
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- (uncountable, chiefly US) Various forms of financial aid provided by the government to those who are in need of it (abbreviated form of Welfare assistance).
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]
health, safety, well-being, happiness and prosperity
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aid, provided by a government, etc.
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External links[edit]
- welfare in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- welfare in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- welfare at OneLook Dictionary Search
See also[edit]
Italian[edit]
Noun[edit]
welfare m (invariable)
