Wealthy

How to spell wealthy

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce wealthy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does wealthy mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a great deal of money, property, or valuable possessions.

Wealthy in a sentence

• The wealthy couple owned three homes across the country.

• Investors hope to grow wealthy by buying property early.

Where does wealthy come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word traces back to the Old English 'wela', meaning well-being, prosperity, or riches, which is closely related to the word 'well' in the sense of faring well. From 'wela' came the noun 'wealth', formed with the same -th suffix that turns 'long' into 'length' and 'true' into 'truth'. The adjective 'wealthy' appeared in Middle English around the 1300s, simply adding the -y ending to mean 'having wealth'. Its earliest sense was broader than money alone: it could describe anyone who was prosperous, fortunate, or thriving in life. The spelling preserves the older 'weal' element, which is why the silent-looking 'ea' and the 'th' both survive; the same 'weal' still lurks in the old phrase 'the common weal', meaning the general good.

How the word is built

• weal (well-being, riches)
• -th (noun suffix forming 'wealth')
• -y (adjective suffix)