richery

R1I1C3H4E1R1Y4

noun

High-quality, ostentatious items that attract attention.

Scrabble 15

Meanings

nounrichery (countable and uncountable, plural richeries)

plural richeries

  1. archaiccountableuncommonuncountableHigh-quality, ostentatious items that attract attention.

    She dressèd herself in richery attire, And so gaily where she did dress; She went a-walkin’ up and down the deck

    1982, Norman Cazden, Herbert Haufrecht, Norman Studer, quoting ‘The Ship’s Carpenter’ as sung by George Edwards, Folk Songs of the Catskills, page 275
    3 more examples

    She dressed herself in richery, Most beauteous to behold; And as they walked along the street, She shined like glittering gold.

    1925, “The House Carpenter”, in John Harrington Cox, editor, Folk-songs of the South, Harvard University Press, page 147

    The crimson hangings of the magnificent bed and the superb furniture and tapestries, the richery of the polished woodcarvings all reflects the departed majesty of ‘The Last of the Knights.’

    1928, Dornford Yates, Perishable Goods

    Better get back to the house or it'll weaken my position. Get her a little present, a fashion magazine filled with richery.

    1955, J.P. Donleavy, The Ginger Man, page 52
  2. countablerareuncountableRiches; an abundance of anything desirable.

    Despite the richeries that can be dug out of Aphrodite’s myths, neither all of love nor all of therapy can be awarded to one god.

    1990, James Hillman, “Eros”, in Essential James Hillman: A Blue Fire

Origin

In poetry, possibly a contraction of rich array. Likely of rich + -ery (“a class of things”); compare finery.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

richery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/richery

MLA

“richery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/richery. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “richery,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/richery.

Source: richery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.