pelf

[ pelf ]

/ pɛlf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pelf ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

RELATED WORDS

loot, lucre

Nearby words

Origin of pelf

1300–50; Middle English < Old French pelfre booty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pelf

He declared that these so-called developers came for pelf, not patriotism.
Robert Toombs|Pleasant A. Stovall
By heaven, I respect not his pelf thus much, but only that I may have wherewith to maintain thee.
A Select Collection of Old English Plays (11 of 15)|W. Carew Hazlitt
She cares for no "cause" but her own cause of ease and pelf.
The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2)|Ida Husted Harper
Not once did he palter with his convictions or juggle with his self-respect for the sake of pelf or applause.
William Lloyd Garrison|Archibald H. Grimke

His indifference to place, pelf and power is His distinguishing characteristic.
Little Journeys To The Homes Of Great Teachers|Elbert Hubbard

British Dictionary definitions for pelf

pelf

/ (pɛlf) /

noun

derogatory money or wealth, esp if dishonestly acquired; lucre

Word Origin for pelf

C14: from Old French pelfre booty; related to Latin pilāre to despoil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pelf

pelf

mid-14c., "stolen goods," from Anglo-French pelf, Old French pelfre "booty, spoils" (11c.), of unknown origin; also see pilfer. Meaning "money, riches," with a pejorative overtone first recorded c.1500.