riches

riches · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₃reǵ-“to straighten, direct, make right”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*rīkijaz“rich, powerful”
3. Frankish · derived from*rīki“rich”
4. Germanic · derived from
5. Old French · derived fromrichesse
6. Old English · derived fromrīċe“power, authority, dominion”
7. Middle English · inherited fromriches
8. English todayriches

From Middle English riches, plural of riche (“power, wealth”), from Old English rīċe (“power, authority, dominion”). Confused with Middle English richesse (“wealth”), from Old French richesse, from riche (“rich, wealthy”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish *rīki (“rich”) from Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz (“rich, powerful”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, direct, make right”). Akin to Old High German rīhhi (“rich”) (German reich (“rich”)), Old English rīċe (“rich”), Old English racu (“explanation, reasoning”). More at rich.

riches · noun²

From rich + -es (plural suffix) by analogy with poors (“poor people”).

Riches · proper noun³

From Rich, a diminutive of Richard + the patronymic suffix -s.

Words from the same roots