worth1
- good or important enough to justify (what is specified): advice worth taking; a place worth visiting.
- having a value of, or equal in value to, as in money: This vase is worth 12 dollars.
- having property to the value or amount of: They are worth millions.
- excellence of character or quality as commanding esteem: women of worth.
- usefulness or importance, as to the world, to a person, or for a purpose: Your worth to the world is inestimable.
- value, as in money.
- a quantity of something of a specified value: ten cents' worth of candy.
- wealth; riches; property or possessions: net worth.
- for all one is worth, Informal. to the utmost: He ran for all he was worth.
- for what it’s worth, whether or not (what is stated) is useful or important enough to justify: For what it’s worth, I think you should apologize to him.
Origin of worth1
Synonym study
worth1
- worthy of; meriting or justifyingit's not worth discussing; an idea worth some thought
- having a value ofthe book is worth 30 pounds
- for all one is worth to the utmost; to the full extent of one's powers or ability
- worth one's weight in gold extremely helpful, kind, etc
- high quality; excellence
- value, price
- the amount or quantity of something of a specified valuefive pounds worth of petrol
Word Origin
worth2
- (intr) archaic to happen or betide (esp in the phrase woe worth the day)
Word Origin
Worth
- Charles Frederick. 1825–95, English couturier, who founded Parisian haute couture
Word Origin and History for for what it's worth
worth
adj.
Old English weorþ "significant, valuable, of value; valued, appreciated, highly thought-of, deserving, meriting; honorable, noble, of high rank; suitable for, proper, fit, capable," from Proto-Germanic *werthaz "toward, opposite," hence "equivalent, worth" (cf. Old Frisian werth, Old Norse verðr, Dutch waard, Old High German werd, German wert, Gothic wairþs "worth, worthy"), perhaps a derivative of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus). Old Church Slavonic vredu, Lithuanian vertas "worth" are Germanic loan-words. From c.1200 as "equivalent to, of the value of, valued at; having importance equal to; equal in power to."
worth
v.
"to come to be," now chiefly, if not solely, in the archaic expression woe worth the day, present subjunctive of Old English weorðan "to become, be, to befall," from Proto-Germanic *werthan "to become" (cf. Old Saxon, Old Dutch werthan, Old Norse verða, Old Frisian wertha, Old High German werdan, German werden, Gothic wairþan "to become"), literally "to turn into," from Proto-Germanic *werthaz "toward, opposite," perhaps a derivative of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus).
worth
n.
Old English weorþ "value, price, price paid; worth, worthiness, merit; equivalent value amount, monetary value," from worth (adj.). From c.1200 as "excellence, nobility."
Idioms and Phrases with for what it's worth
for what it's worth
see under for all one is worth.
worth
In addition to the idioms beginning with worth
- worth one's weight in gold
- worth one's while
- worthy of the name
also see:
- for all one is worth
- game is not worth the candle
- get one's money's worth
- not worth a damn
- picture is worth a thousand words