Worth

How to spell worth

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce worth

What does worth mean?

1. adjectiveHaving a particular value, usefulness, or importance.
2. nounThe value, importance, or usefulness of something or someone.

Worth in a sentence

• adjective

  The antique clock is worth several thousand pounds.

• noun

  The true worth of a good education shows up years later.

• adjective

  The long commute is worth it for a job she loves.

• noun

  He proved his worth to the team within a month.

Where does worth come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native Germanic word, descending directly from Old English weorth, which meant 'valuable' or 'of a certain price' and also worked as a noun meaning 'value' or 'merit'. It traces back to the Proto-Germanic werthaz, the same source that gave German wert and Dutch waard, all carrying the idea of equivalence: what a thing is fairly equal to in money or esteem. From the earliest English texts the word served double duty as both an adjective describing value and a noun naming it, a flexibility it still keeps today. The spelling reflects that old wor- sequence; the 'wor' is pronounced like 'wer' rather than the 'wor' of 'world' you might expect, which is the only mild trap in an otherwise straightforward word. It is a close relative of older constructions like 'worthy' and 'worship', the latter literally meaning 'worth-ship', the condition of having worth.

How the word is built

• worth (from Old English weorth: value, price)