What is "worth"

Worth \Worth\, v. i. [OE. worthen, wur[thorn]en, to become, AS. weor[eth]an; akin to OS. wer[eth]an, D. worden, G. werden, OHG. werdan, Icel. ver[eth]a, Sw. varda, Goth. wa['i]rpan, L. vertere to turn, Skr. v[.r]t, v. i., to turn, to roll, to become. [root]143. Cf. Verse, - ward, Weird.] To be; to become; to betide; -- now used only in the phrases, woe worth the day, woe worth the man, etc., in which the verb is in the imperative, and the nouns day, man, etc., are in the dative. Woe be to the day, woe be to the man, etc., are equivalent phrases.

I counsel . . . to let the cat worthe.
--Piers Plowman.

He worth upon [got upon] his steed gray.
--Chaucer.

Worth \Worth\, a. [OE. worth, wur[thorn], AS. weor[eth], wurE; akin to OFries. werth, OS. wer[eth], D. waard, OHG. werd, G. wert, werth, Icel. ver[eth]r, Sw. v["a]rd, Dan. v[ae]rd, Goth. wa['i]rps, and perhaps to E. wary. Cf. Stalwart, Ware an article of merchandise, Worship.]

1. Valuable; of worthy; estimable; also, worth while. [Obs.]

   It was not worth to make it wise.
   --Chaucer.

2. Equal in value to; furnishing an equivalent for; proper to be exchanged for.

   A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats.
   --Shak.

   All our doings without charity are nothing worth.
   --Bk. of Com. Prayer.

   If your arguments produce no conviction, they are worth nothing to me.
   --Beattie.

3. Deserving of; -- in a good or bad sense, but chiefly in a good sense.

   To reign is worth ambition, though in hell.
   --Milton.

   This is life indeed, life worth preserving.
   --Addison.

4. Having possessions equal to; having wealth or estate to the value of.

   At Geneva are merchants reckoned worth twenty hundred crowns.
   --Addison.

   Worth while, or Worth the while. See under While, n.

Worth \Worth\, n. [OE. worth, wur[thorn], AS. weor[eth], wur[eth]; weor[eth], wur[eth], adj. See Worth, a.]

1. That quality of a thing which renders it valuable or useful; sum of valuable qualities which render anything useful and sought; value; hence, often, value as expressed in a standard, as money; equivalent in exchange; price.

   What 's worth in anything But so much money as 't will bring?
   --Hudibras.

2. Value in respect of moral or personal qualities; excellence; virtue; eminence; desert; merit; usefulness; as, a man or magistrate of great worth.

   To be of worth, and worthy estimation.
   --Shak.

   As none but she, who in that court did dwell, Could know such worth, or worth describe so well.
   --Waller.

   To think how modest worth neglected lies.
   --Shenstone.

   Syn: Desert; merit; excellence; price; rate.

Old English weorþ "significant, valuable, of value; valued, appreciated, highly thought-of, deserving, meriting; honorable, noble, of high rank; suitable for, proper, fit, capable," from Proto-Germanic *werthaz "toward, opposite," hence "equivalent, worth" (cognates: Old Frisian werth, Old Norse verðr, Dutch waard, Old High German werd, German wert, Gothic wairþs "worth, worthy"), perhaps a derivative of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus). Probably related to weird. Old Church Slavonic vredu, Lithuanian vertas "worth" are Germanic loan-words. From c.1200 as "equivalent to, of the value of, valued at; having importance equal to; equal in power to."

"to come to be," now chiefly, if not solely, in the archaic expression woe worth the day, present subjunctive of Old English weorðan "to become, be, to befall," from Proto-Germanic *werthan "to become" (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Dutch werthan, Old Norse verða, Old Frisian wertha, Old High German werdan, German werden, Gothic wairþan "to become"), literally "to turn into," from Proto-Germanic *werthaz "toward, opposite," perhaps a derivative of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus).

Old English weorþ "value, price, price paid; worth, worthiness, merit; equivalent value amount, monetary value," from worth (adj.). From c.1200 as "excellence, nobility."

Etymology 1 n. 1 (context countable English) value. 2 (context uncountable English) merit, excellence. prep. 1 Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for. 2 deserving of. Etymology 2

vb. (context obsolete except in set phrases English) To be, become, betide.

1. adj. having sufficient worth; "an idea worth considering"; "a cause deserving or meriting support"; "the deserving poor" (often used ironically) [syn: deserving(p), meriting(p), worth(p)]

2. having a specified value; "not worth his salt"; "worth her weight in gold" [syn: worth(p)]

1. n. an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value; "10 dollars worth of gasoline"

2. the quality that renders something desirable or valuable or useful [ant: worthlessness]

3. French couturier (born in England) regarded as the founder of Parisian haute couture; noted for introducing the bustle (1825-1895) [syn: Charles Frederick Worth]

Worth may refer to:

Worth is an American financial, wealth management and lifestyle magazine founded in 1986 and re-launched by Sandow in 2009. The magazine addresses financial, legal and lifestyle issues for high-net-worth individuals. Each issue is organized into four sections: "Make" focuses on making money and entrepreneurship; "Grow" centers on wealth management and investing; "Live" highlights philanthropy, lifestyle and passion investing; and "Creator" covers luxury products, services and experiences.

Wörth or Woerth may refer to:

Worth (1909–1912) was an American Thoroughbred race horse. He was the winner of the 1912 Kentucky Derby, as well as the Chesapeake Stakes and Latonia Handicap. He was the top racehorse, based on earnings, in 1911 and became a U.S. champion in 1912.

On November 6, 1912, Worth was severely injured during a race run at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Worth's jockey, MacTaggart, rode too closely to another horse, causing a three horse collision that severely injured two other jockeys and severed two tendons in Worth's leg. Worth was euthanized shortly after this incident due to his extensive injuries.