pelf

American  

[pelf] / pɛlf /

noun

1. money or wealth, especially when regarded with contempt or acquired by reprehensible means.

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pelf British  

/ pɛlf /

noun

1. derogatory money or wealth, esp if dishonestly acquired; lucre

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Etymology

Origin of pelf

1300–50; Middle English < Old French pelfre booty

Explanation

Empty your sister's piggy bank and you'll have a pocket full of pelf, or money. It's going to take a lot more pelf than that to buy that fancy bicycle you've got your eye on, though! This old-fashioned word for money isn't used much these days—you're much more likely to say "cash," "dough," or even "cheese." When it was in fashion, pelf often referred to stolen cash, and the word can be traced back to the Old French pelfre, "loot," a source it shares with pilfer, "steal."