riches

[rich-iz] /ˈrɪtʃ ɪz/
plural noun
1.
abundant and valuable possessions; wealth.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English, plural of Middle English riche wealth, power (Old English rīce power, rule; cognate with German Reich realm); confused with Middle English richesse wealth < Old French, equivalent to riche wealthy (< Germanic; see rich) + -esse -ess

rich

[rich] /rɪtʃ/
adjective, richer, richest.
1.
having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy:
a rich man; a rich nation.
2.
abounding in natural resources:
a rich territory.
3.
having wealth or valuable resources (usually followed by in):
a country rich in traditions.
4.
abounding (usually followed by in or with):
a countryside rich in beauty; a design rich with colors.
5.
of great value or worth; valuable:
a rich harvest.
6.
(of food) delectably and perhaps unhealthfully spicy, or sweet and abounding in butter or cream:
a rich gravy; a rich pastry.
7.
costly, expensively elegant, or fine, as dress or jewels.
8.
sumptuous; elaborately abundant:
a rich feast.
9.
using valuable materials or characterized by elaborate workmanship, as buildings or furniture.
10.
abounding in desirable elements or qualities:
a man rich in kindness.
11.
(of wine) strong and finely flavored.
12.
(of color) deep, strong, or vivid:
rich purple.
13.
full and mellow in tone:
rich sounds; a rich voice.
14.
strongly fragrant; pungent:
a rich odor.
15.
producing or yielding abundantly:
a rich soil.
16.
abundant, plentiful, or ample:
a rich supply.
17.
Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively high ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with lean).
18.
Informal.
  1. highly amusing.
  2. ridiculous; absurd.
noun
19.
(used with a plural verb) rich persons collectively (usually preceded by the):
new tax shelters for the rich.
Origin
before 900; Middle English; Old English rīce (adj.) ≪ Celtic; cognate with German reich wealthy; akin to Latin rēx, Sanskrit rājan king
Related forms
richly, adverb
richness, noun
overrich, adjective
overrichly, adverb
overrichness, noun
superrich, adjective, noun
ultrarich, adjective, noun
Synonyms
1. well-to-do, moneyed. Rich, wealthy, affluent all indicate abundance of possessions. Rich is the general word; it may imply that possessions are newly acquired: an oilman who became rich overnight. Wealthy suggests permanence, stability, and appropriate surroundings: a wealthy banker. Affluent usually suggests a generous amount of income, with a high standard of living and some social prestige and privilege: an affluent family. 5. bountiful, copious, luxuriant. 7. precious, high-priced, dear. 12. intense, vibrant. 14. aromatic. 15. fruitful, productive, prolific, luxuriant. 16. bountiful, copious, abounding, bounteous.
Antonyms
1–5, 15, 16. poor.

Rich

[rich] /rɪtʃ/
noun
1.
Adrienne, born 1929, U.S. poet and feminist.
2.
a male given name, form of Richard.
Examples from the web for riches
  • From the outside, the church offers little sign of the aromatic riches within.
  • Your investors, however, want a safe road to riches.
  • And the demand for this meat is increasingly luring poachers to the area's biological riches.
  • The notion of alpha, and its ephemeral promise of vast riches, was everywhere in the hedge fund world.
  • They were drawn by word of mouth about the mineral riches and the ease of doing business here.
  • Rags-to-riches success stories fill people's conversation.
  • He viewed the region both as a barbarous source of potential riches and as a huge tract in pressing need of civilization.
  • In his home town he was now larger than life, a rags-to-riches merchant who was dangerous and powerful.
  • Yet the movie is not some conventionally priggish tale of youthful innocence corrupted by riches.
  • Trophies included plundered riches, as well as the heads and left ears of enemies.
British Dictionary definitions for riches

riches

/ˈrɪtʃɪz/
plural noun
1.
wealth; an abundance of money, valuable possessions, or property

rich

/rɪtʃ/
adjective
1.
  1. well supplied with wealth, property, etc; owning much
  2. (as collective noun; preceded by the): the rich
2.
when postpositive, usually foll by in. having an abundance of natural resources, minerals, etc: a land rich in metals
3.
producing abundantly; fertile: rich soil
4.
when postpositive, usually foll by in or with. well supplied (with desirable qualities); abundant (in): a country rich with cultural interest
5.
of great worth or quality; valuable: a rich collection of antiques
6.
luxuriant or prolific: a rich growth of weeds
7.
expensively elegant, elaborate, or fine; costly: a rich display
8.
(of food) having a large proportion of flavoursome or fatty ingredients, such as spices, butter, or cream
9.
having a full-bodied flavour: a rich ruby port
10.
(of a smell) pungent or fragrant
11.
(of colour) intense or vivid; deep: a rich red
12.
(of sound or a voice) full, mellow, or resonant
13.
(of a fuel-air mixture) containing a relatively high proportion of fuel Compare weak (sense 12)
14.
very amusing, laughable, or ridiculous: a rich joke, a rich situation
noun
15.
See riches
Word Origin
Old English rīce (originally of persons: great, mighty), of Germanic origin, ultimately from Celtic (compare Old Irish rī king)

Rich

/rɪtʃ/
noun
1.
Adrienne. 1929–2012, US poet and feminist writer; her volumes of poetry include Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law (1963) and Diving Into the Wreck (1973)
2.
Buddy, real name Bernard Rich. 1917–87, US jazz drummer and band leader
Word Origin and History for riches
n.

"valued possessions, money, property," c.1200, modified from richesse (12c.), a singular form misunderstood as a plural, from Old French richesse, richece "wealth, opulence, splendor, magnificence," from riche (see rich (adj.)). The Old French suffix -esse is from Latin -itia, added to adjectives to form nouns of quality (cf. duress, largesse).

rich

adj.

Old English rice "strong, powerful; great, mighty; of high rank," in later Old English "wealthy," from Proto-Germanic *rikijaz (cf. Old Norse rikr, Swedish rik, Danish rig, Old Frisian rike "wealthy, mighty," Dutch rijk, Old High German rihhi "ruler, powerful, rich," German reich "rich," Gothic reiks "ruler, powerful, rich"), borrowed from a Celtic source akin to Gaulish *rix, Old Irish ri (genitive rig) "king," from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," hence, "direct, rule" (see rex).

The form of the word was influenced in Middle English by Old French riche "wealthy, magnificent, sumptuous," which is, with Spanish rico, Italian ricco, from Frankish *riki "powerful," or some other cognate Germanic source.

Old English also had a noun, rice "rule, reign, power, might; authority; empire." The evolution of the word reflects a connection between wealth and power in the ancient world. Of food and colors, from early 14c.; of sounds, from 1590s. Sense of "entertaining, amusing" is recorded from 1760. The noun meaning "the wealthy" was in Old English.

Slang definitions & phrases for riches

rich

Related Terms

strike it rich, too rich for someone's blood


Idioms and Phrases with riches

rich

In addition to the idiom beginning with
rich
also see: