worthy

See also: Worthy and -worthy

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɜːði/
• (General American) enPR: wûr'thē, IPA^(key): /ˈwɝði/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)ði
• Hyphenation: wor‧thy

Etymology 1

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

worthy (comparative worthier, superlative worthiest)

1. having worth, merit, or value
   • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     These banished men that I have kept withal / Are men endued with worthy qualities.

   • (Can we date this quote by Sir J. Davies and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     This worthy mind should worthy things embrace.

2. honourable or admirable
3. deserving, or having sufficient worth
4. Suited; befitting.
   • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     No, Warwick, thou art worthy of the sway.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Matthew iii. 11

     […] whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     And thou art worthy that thou shouldst not know / More happiness.

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The lodging is well worthy of the guest.

Derived terms

• markworthy
• noteworthy
• worthily
• worthiness

Related terms

• worthly

Translations

having worth, merit, or value

• Armenian: արժանի (hy) (aržani)
• Catalan: digne (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 配稱／配称 (zh), 配称 (zh) (pèichèng)

• Dutch: waardig (nl)
• Esperanto: inda (eo)
• Finnish: arvollinen
• French: digne (fr)
• Galician: digno m
• German: würdig (de)
• Greek: άξιος (el) (áxios)

  Ancient: ἄξιος (áxios)

• Ido: digna (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: degno (it)
• Latgalian: godns
• Latin: dignus (la)
• Latvian: cienīgs
• Maori: whaiwariu
• Norman: dîngne
• Portuguese: digno (pt), valioso (pt)
• Romanian: demn (ro)
• Russian: досто́йный (ru) (dostójnyj)
• Spanish: digno (es)
• Telugu: అర్హము (te) (arhamu)
• Welsh: gwiw

honourable or admirable

• Armenian: արժանի (hy) (aržani)
• Catalan: digne (ca)
• Esperanto: honorinda, admirinda, estimata, meritplena
• Finnish: kunnianarvoisa
• French: honorable (fr), admirable (fr)
• Greek: έξοχος (el) (éxochos)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ido: estiminda (io), honorinda (io), honoroza
• Latin: dignus (la)
• Russian: заслу́женный (ru) (zaslúžennyj), достопочте́нный (ru) (dostopočténnyj)
• Spanish: digno (es)

deserving, or having sufficient worth

• Armenian: արժանի (hy) (aržani)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 值得 (zh) (zhíde)

• Esperanto: merita, inda (eo)
• Finnish: -n (genitive) arvoinen
• Greek: άξιος (el) (áxios)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ido: digna (io)
• Irish: diongbháilte
• Japanese: 値する (ja) (あたいする, atai suru)
• Maori: whaitake
• Russian: заслу́живающий (ru) (zaslúživajuščij), сто́ящий (ru) (stójaščij)

Noun

worthy (plural worthies)

1. a distinguished or eminent person

Related terms

• -worthy
• unworthy

Etymology 2

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

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.
   • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?), King Lear

     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

• worthier
• worthying

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Middle English

Etymology

From worth +‎ -y, from Old English weorþ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɔrðiː/

Adjective

worthy

1. worthy

Descendants

• English: worthy