riches
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a large amount of money and valuable possessions.
material wealth, money, or valuable possessions. Plural-only noun; does not have a singular form in this sense.
Simple“He spent his life chasing riches but died with very few friends.”
In context“The explorers returned from the expedition with stories of vast riches hidden deep within the mountain range.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a large amount of something very good or useful.
an abundance or profusion of anything desirable, such as natural resources or cultural heritage.
Simple“The local library offers a wealth of riches for anyone who loves history.”
In context“The coastal region is famous for its natural riches, including rare wildlife and pristine coral reefs.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a way to refer to people who have a lot of money.
a collective reference to wealthy individuals. Nonstandard and rare in modern usage.
Simple“In the old stories, the riches lived in big houses on the hill.”
In context“The folk song tells of a time when the riches and the poor worked side by side in the fields.”
UsageUsually preceded by 'the'.
“At the same time, his rise to fame and riches has an inescapably “only in America” feel to it.”
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.
From rich + -es (plural suffix) by analogy with poors (“poor people”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.