worthy

See also: Worthy and -worthy

Contents

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɜːði/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɝði/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

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

Etymology 1

From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþiġ ((not found); "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?) William Shakespeare

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

   • (Can we date this quote?) Sir J. Davies

     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?) William Shakespeare

     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?) John Milton

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

   • (Can we date this quote?) Dryden

     The lodging is well worthy of the guest.

Derived terms

• markworthy
• noteworthy
• worthily
• worthiness

Translations

having worth, merit, or value

• Catalan: digne
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 配稱 (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)

• Italian: degno (it)
• Latgalian: godns
• Latin: dignus
• Latvian: cienīgs
• 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

• Catalan: digne
• Esperanto: honorinda, admirinda, estimata, meritplena
• Finnish: kunnianarvoisa
• French: honorable (fr), admirable (fr)
• Greek: έξοχος (el) (éxochos)

• Ido: estiminda (io), honorinda (io), honoroza
• Latin: dignus
• Russian: заслу́женный (ru) (zaslúžennyj), достопочте́нный (ru) (dostopočténnyj)
• Spanish: digno (es)

deserving, or having sufficient worth

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 值得 (zh) (zhíde)

• Esperanto: merita, inda (eo)
• Finnish: -n (genitive) arvoinen
• Greek: άξιος (el) (áxios)

• Ido: digna (io)
• Irish: diongbháilte
• Japanese: 値する (ja) (あたいする, atai suru)
• 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?) William Shakespeare, 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