rich (English)

Where does "rich" come from?

The word 'rich' originated from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₃rḗǵs, meaning 'king' or 'ruler,' which emphasizes the connection between power and wealth. It evolved through Proto-Germanic and Old English as 'rīċe,' signifying someone who was mighty or high-ranking before eventually settling into its modern English sense of possessing great wealth. This historical path highlights how concepts of sovereignty and authority were linguistically intertwined with the accumulation of resources.

Full etymology tree

rich (English), 'Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.'
- inherited riche (Middle English), 'Rich, wealthy (possessing wealth):'
  - inherited rīċe (Old English), 'kingdom, empire'
    - inherited *rīkī (Proto-West Germanic), 'mighty, powerful'
      - inherited *rīkijaz (Proto-Germanic), 'kingly, royal, noble'
        derived *rīks (Proto-Germanic), 'king, ruler'
        learned borrowing *rīxs (Proto-Celtic), 'king'
        inherited *h₃rḗǵs (Proto-Indo-European), 'king, ruler'
        compound *h₃reǵ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to straighten'
        compound *-s (Proto-Indo-European), 'Derives feminine mobile-accented root nouns from roots.'
- influence riche (Old French), 'rich (possessing wealth)'
  - inherited *rīkī (Frankish)
    - inherited *rīkī (Proto-West Germanic), 'mighty, powerful'
      - inherited *rīkijaz (Proto-Germanic), 'kingly, royal, noble'
        derived *rīks (Proto-Germanic), 'king, ruler'
        learned borrowing *rīxs (Proto-Celtic), 'king'
        inherited *h₃rḗǵs (Proto-Indo-European), 'king, ruler'
        compound *h₃reǵ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to straighten'
        compound *-s (Proto-Indo-European), 'Derives feminine mobile-accented root nouns from roots.'

Direct ancestors

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris