different between righteous vs worthy

English

Alternative forms

• rightuous, rightwise (obsolete)

Etymology

From earlier rightuous, rightwose, rightwos, rightwise, from Middle English rightwise, rightwis, from Old English rihtw?s (“righteous, just, right, justifiable”), corresponding to right +? -wise (with assimilation of second element to -ous), or to right +? wise (“way, manner”). Cognate with Scots richtwis (“righteous”), Old High German rehtw?sic (“righteous, just”), Icelandic réttvíss (“righteous, just”). Compare also thefteous, mighteous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??a?t??s/
• Rhymes: -a?t??s

Adjective

righteous (comparative more righteous, superlative most righteous)

1. Free from sin or guilt.
2. Moral and virtuous, to the point of sanctimonious.

3. Justified morally.

   righteous indignation

4. (slang, US) Awesome; great.
   • 1995, Norman L. Russell, Doug Grad, Suicide Charlie: A Vietnam War Story (page 191)

     He sold me a bulging paper sack full of Cambodian Red for two dolla' MPC. A strange experience, copping from a kid, but it was righteous weed.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

righteous (third-person singular simple present righteouses, present participle righteousing, simple past and past participle righteoused)

1. To make righteous; specifically, to justify religiously, to absolve from sin.
   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 101:

     Thus for the purposes of being ‘righteoused’, the Law was irrelevant; yet Paul could not bear to see all the Law disappear.

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?w??ði/
• (General American) enPR: wûr'th?, IPA^(key): /?w?ði/
• Rhymes: -??(r)ði
• Hyphenation: wor?thy

Etymology 1

From Middle English worthy, wurthi, from Old English *weorþi? (“"worthy"”), equivalent to worth +? -y. Cognate with Dutch waardig (“worthy”), Middle Low German werdig (“worthy”), German würdig (“worthy”), Swedish värdig (“worthy”), Icelandic verðugt (“worthy”).

Adjective

worthy (comparative worthier, superlative worthiest)

1. having worth, merit, or value
   • c. 1626, John Davies, The Original, Nature, and Immortality of the Soul

     This worthy mind should worthy things embrace.

2. honourable or admirable
3. deserving, or having sufficient worth
4. Suited; befitting.
   • […] whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.

   • The lodging is well worthy of the guest.

Derived terms

• markworthy
• noteworthy
• worthily
• worthiness

Related terms

• worthly

Translations

Noun

worthy (plural worthies)

1. a distinguished or eminent person

Related terms

• -worthy
• unworthy

Etymology 2

From Middle English worthien, wurthien, from Old English weorþian (“to esteem, honor, worship, distinguish, celebrate, exalt, praise, adorn, deck, enrich, reward”), from Proto-Germanic *werþ?n? (“to be worthy, estimate, appreciate, appraise”), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with German werten (“to rate, judge, grade, score”), Swedish värdera (“to evaluate, rate, size up, assess, estimate”), Icelandic virða (“to respect, esteem”).

Verb

worthy (third-person singular simple present worthies, present participle worthying, simple past and past participle worthied)

1. (transitive) To render or treat as worthy; exalt; revere; honour; esteem; respect; value; reward; adore.
   • c. 1603-1606, William Shakespeare, King Lear

     And put upon him such a deal of man,
     That worthied him, got praises of the king […]

   • 1880, Sir Norman Lockyer, Nature:

     After having duly paid his addresses to it, he generally spends some time on the marble slab in front of the looking-glass, but without showing the slightest emotion at the sight of his own reflection, or worthying it with a song.

   • 1908, Edward Arthur Brayley Hodgetts, The court of Russia in the nineteenth century:

     And it is a poor daub besides," the Emperor rejoined scornfully, as he stalked out of the gallery without worthying the artist with a look.

   • 1910, Charles William Eliot, The Harvard classics: Beowulf:

     No henchman he worthied by weapons, if witness his features, his peerless presence!

Derived terms

• worthier
• worthying

Middle English

Etymology

From worth +? -y, from Old English weorþ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?w?rði?/

Adjective

worthy

1. worthy

Descendants

• English: worthy