Worthy

How to spell worthy

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce worthy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does worthy mean?

1. adjectiveDeserving respect, support, or merit.
2. nounA person of notable rank, character, or distinction in a community.

Worthy in a sentence

• adjective

  The charity is a worthy cause that deserves wider support.

• noun

  The town committee was filled with every local worthy and councillor.

• adjective

  Her proposal was a worthy attempt to cut waste in the department.

• noun

  The dinner gathered each civic worthy for the annual address.

Where does worthy come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the Old English noun 'weorth', meaning value, price, or merit, the same root that gives us the modern word 'worth'. By the late twelfth century English speakers had attached the native adjective ending '-y' to produce 'worthy', literally meaning 'having worth' or deserving of something. The underlying Germanic root is shared with Dutch 'waardig' and German 'wurdig', both carrying the sense of being deserving or honourable. Over time 'worthy' broadened from simply 'valuable' to the moral sense of 'deserving respect or merit', and it also came to be used as a noun for a person of distinction, as in 'a local worthy'. The spelling stays close to its parent 'worth', so remembering the base word is the easiest guard against errors in the unstressed second syllable.

How the word is built

• worth (value, merit)
• -y (adjective suffix forming 'having the quality of')