rich English · revision 2699

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited, borrowing|attested=before 900|origins=cel-pro *rīxs}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /rɪtʃ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|riche]],^(MWU 2024)^(Barnhart 1988) [[inh|ang|rīċe|t=strong, powerful, mighty, of high rank, wealthy]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) fused with Old French [[m|fro|riche|t=wealthy, magnificent, sumptuous]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) itself from a Germanic source, Frankish *rīki “powerful”, like Spanish rico and Italian ricco.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The Old English word is from [[gem-pro|*rīkijaz]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) the source also of Old Frisian rīke, Dutch rijk, German reich, Old Norse ríkr and Gothic reiks “ruler, mighty”,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) which was borrowed from Celtic,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Proto-Celtic [[m|cel-pro|*rīxs|t=king]], seen in Gaulish -rix in names such as Vercingetorix and in Old Irish rí,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) related to Latin rēx “king”.^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline) Old English also had the noun rīce “rule, realm, kingdom”, the second part of [[bishopric]] and cognate with German Reich.^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English rīce, “powerful, mighty, of high rank”, is from before 900, a sense now obsolete;^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) “having large possessions, wealthy” is from about 900.^(OED 1989) Middle English riche is from before 1121.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old English rich meant both powerful and wealthy,^(Cresswell 2021) and the noun meaning “the wealthy” was already in Old English.^(Etymonline) Of places, “abounding in wealth or resources”, it is from about 1250,^(OED 1989) and “valuable, costly, splendid” from the 12th and 13th centuries.^(Hoad 1986)^(OED 1989) Johnson (1755) gave first “wealthy; abounding in wealth”.^(Johnson 1755) The idea of lavish wealth led in the 17th century to the sense “outrageous, beyond acceptable limits”, as in ''that's a bit rich''.^(Cresswell 2021) [[riches]], “wealth”, is not a plural of rich but a misreading of Old French richesse “wealth”, found probably before 1200 in the ''Ancrene Riwle''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021)^(Hoad 1986) The verb, “to make rich”, is from before 1300.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 900 – powerful, mighty.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 900 – wealthy.^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1121 – Middle English riche.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1200 – ''riches''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1250 – rich in resources; valuable.^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1300 – verb, to enrich.^(OED 1989)

+ * 17th century – outrageous.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Having a great deal of money, property or possessions; [[wealthy]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Having an abundant supply of something: ''rich in vitamins''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Of soil: fertile.^(AHD)

+ # Of food: containing much fat, sugar or other heavy ingredients.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Of colour, sound or smell: deep, full and pleasing.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Expensive and splendid; [[sumptuous]].^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # ''(informal)'' Outrageous or absurd: ''that's rich''.^(AHD)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''the rich'': Wealthy people as a group.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[richly]]

+ * [[richness]]

+ * [[overrich]]

+ * [[new-rich]]

+ * [[richen]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[nouveau riche]]

+ * [[riches]]

+ * [[enrich]]

+ * [[bishopric]]

+ * [[Reich]]

+ * [[regal]]

+ * [[rex]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Rich'' and ''wealthy'' are the general words for having much money or property;^(AHD) ''affluent'' suggests a growing prosperity, and ''flush'' and ''loaded'' are informal words for having plenty of money at the moment.^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}