RICH: The Wednesday Word #WednesdayWisdom
INTRO: Today’s word has so many different meanings and connotations. But what we’ll find today is that the most important definition will be specifically what it means to you….
WORD: Rich (adjective)
a word or phrase naming an attribute, added to or grammatically related to a noun to modify or describe it.
DEFINITION of Rich:
- having a great deal of money or assets; wealthy.
- “every day the gap between the rich and the poor widens”
- plentiful; abundant.
- “the nation’s rich and diverse wildlife”
- producing a large quantity of something.
- “novels have always been a rich source of material for the film industry”
- (of a color, sound, smell, etc.) pleasantly deep or strong.
- “his rich bass voice”
- interesting because full of diversity or complexity.
- “what a full, rich life you lead!”
- (of a remark) causing ironic amusement or indignation.
- “these comments are a bit rich coming from a woman with no money worries”
ETYMOLOGY of Rich:
Old English rice “strong, powerful; great, mighty; of high rank,” in later Old English “wealthy,” from Proto-Germanic *rikijaz (source also of 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,” with derivatives meaning “to direct in a straight line,” thus “to lead, rule” (compare 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.
Rich: The Wednesday Word ACTION IDEAS:
I got one question and one question only here. What does “living a rich life” look like in your world? Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever put pen to paper and answered that question? No limits, no restrictions, all bets are off, what does living a rich life look like in your world? And as a follow up question, now that you know all the definitions of rich, are your days spent creating this rich life or have you learned to be happy with what you have? Because if your ideas of living a rich life don’t actually match your current conditions, it’s time to get to work and no, it’s never too late….