rich
Pronunciation: /rɪtʃ/
adjective
- 1having a great deal of money or assets; wealthy: a rich and famous family (as plural noun the rich) every day the split between the rich and the poor widens
- (of a country or region) having valuable natural resources or a successful economy: rich countries can afford to spend money on the environment
- of expensive materials or workmanship; demonstrating wealth: rich mahogany furniture
- generating wealth; valuable: not all footballers enjoy rich rewards from the game
- 2existing in plentiful quantities; abundant: the rich flora and fauna of the forest
- having (a particular thing) in large amounts: many vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins
- (of food) containing a large amount of fat, spices, sugar, etc.: dishes with wonderfully rich sauces
- (of drink) full-bodied: a rich and hoppy best bitter
- (of the fuel and air mixture in an internal-combustion engine) containing a high proportion of fuel: crank the engine until it fires and return the mixture to ‘rich’
- 3producing a large quantity of something: novels have always been a rich source of material for the film industry
- (of land) having the properties necessary to produce fertile growth: the city is surrounded by rich agricultural land
- (of a mine or mineral deposit) yielding a large quantity of precious metal: one of the richest phosphate mines in the West
Origin:
Old English rīce 'powerful, wealthy', of Germanic origin, related to Dutch rijk and German reich; ultimately from Celtic; reinforced in Middle English by Old French riche 'rich, powerful'