English
richness
Richness comes from Middle English richenesse ‘Wealthiness’, from riche ‘rich’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃rḗǵs2‘king, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*rīxs2‘king’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rīks2‘king, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rīkijaz2‘powerful, rich’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rīkī2‘mighty, powerful’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rīċe2‘mighty, rich’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500riche3‘rich’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500richenesse4‘Wealthiness’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012richness4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs
- 2 Wiktionary, Middle English riche
- 3 Wiktionary, Middle English richenesse
- 4 Wiktionary, English richness
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, James Lambert, Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English: “By using the same classification system for all the…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃rḗǵsWiktionary, Middle English riche‘king, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*rīxsWiktionary, Middle English riche‘king’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rīksWiktionary, Middle English riche‘king, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rīkijazWiktionary, Middle English riche‘powerful, rich’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rīkīWiktionary, Middle English riche‘mighty, powerful’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rīċeWiktionary, Middle English riche‘mighty, rich’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500richeWiktionary, Middle English richenesse‘rich’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500richenesseWiktionary, English richness‘Wealthiness’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012richnessWiktionary, English richness. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, James Lambert, Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English: “By using the same classification system for all the…”
Equivalent to rich + -ness
Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
…
Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz ‘kingly’
Proto-West Germanic *rīkī ‘powerful’
Old English rīċe ‘powerful’
Middle English riche ‘strong’
English rich
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, director, source, region, regular, rule, direction, direct, correct, address, rank, dress, regime, arrangement, radar, realm, arrange, rack, ana, rogue, regulate, royalty, resurrection, interrogation, raj, erect, regent, rake, rector, regency, insurrection, rectify, anorexia, rectum, regalia, droit, rectification, dirge, incorrigible, rhesus, 95 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs ‘king, ruler’
real, royal, roy, rex, regal, rani, rajah, riel, 7 more
through Old English rīċe ‘mighty, rich’
through Middle English riche ‘rich’
Today it means
noun The state or quality of being rich; wealthiness, wealth, riches.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “richness”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs, Middle English riche, Middle English richenesse. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- / richness