# worth

Pronunciation: say "WURTH" US /wɝθ/, UK /wɜːθ/

## Adjective

1. Good, useful, or important enough to justify the effort, time, or cost involved; deserving of a specified action.
   - Simple: Good or useful enough that spending time, money, or effort on it is a good idea.
   - _The extra training proved worth every painful hour once race day arrived._
   - _A reliable car is worth the higher price you pay upfront._
2. Having a value equal to a stated amount; able to be exchanged for that amount.
   - Simple: Having a certain value, or able to be traded for a certain amount of money.
   - _The antique vase turned out to be worth several thousand dollars._
   - _My grandfather's old baseball card is now worth about two hundred dollars._

## Noun

3. The value of someone or something, whether in money or in usefulness, importance, or good qualities.
   - Simple: How much someone or something is valued, in money or because of their good qualities.
   - _Experts debated the worth of the manuscript for years._
   - _She badly underestimated the worth of her grandmother's jewelry._
4. The amount of something that a stated sum of money buys, or that is produced, used, or lasts within a stated period of time.
   - Simple: The amount of something you can buy for a certain sum, or that is made or used in a set time.
   - _The reservoir holds about a month's worth of water for the town._
   - _We bought twenty dollars' worth of gas before setting off on the long drive._

## Adjective

5. Valuable or worthwhile in itself. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Valuable, or good enough to be worthwhile.

## Verb

6. To be, become, or befall; to happen to someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To happen to or come upon someone, as good or bad fortune.
   - _Woe worth the hour she ever set foot in that cursed house._
   - _Woe worth the traitor who opened the gates to the enemy._

## Noun

7. High social standing; noble rank or dignity. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A high position in society, such as noble rank.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5, 7** — From Middle English worth, from Old English weorþ, going back through Proto-West Germanic to Proto-Germanic *werþaz ("worthy, valuable") and probably Proto-Indo-European *wert-. It is related to German wert, Dutch waard, and Swedish värd, all meaning "worth."
**Meaning 6** — From Middle English worthen ("to be, exist, become"), from Old English weorþan ("to come into being, become, arise"), from Proto-Germanic *werþaną ("to come about, become") and Proto-Indo-European *wert- ("to turn, turn out"). It is related to German werden and Latin vertere.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/worth (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).