worthy

worthy
   A favourite vocative element in former times, used like ‘good’, ‘fair’, ‘honest’, etc. In modem English, speakers do not usually address ‘worthy Sebastian’, ‘worthy lady’, ‘worthy lord’, ‘most worthy gentleman’, ‘most worthy madam’, ‘worthy brother’, ‘worthy sir’, ‘worthy friend’, etc., as they do in the Shakespearean plays and other literature of the period.
   The words probably became little more than a conventional noise before disappearing from the vocative system, though we still speak about people of some importance as ‘worthies’. Wowser A mainly Australian term for a puritanical prude. The origin of the expression is unclear. It is used as a mild insult to a man by an Australian woman in Redback, by Howard Jacobson.

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

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  • Worthy — Wor thy, a. [Compar. {Worthier}; superl. {Worthiest.}] [OE. worthi, wur[thorn]i, from worth, wur[thorn], n.; cf. Icel. ver[eth]ugr, D. waardig, G. w[ u]rdig, OHG. wird[=i]g. See {Worth}, n.] [1913 Webster] 1. Having worth or excellence;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Worthy — can refer to:People* James Worthy, basketball player from Gastonia, North Carolina * John Worthy Chaplin, English recipient of the Victoria Cross * F. F. Worthington, nicknamed Worthy Places* Worthy, Somerset, a hamlet near Porlock * Abbots… …   Wikipedia

  • Worthy FM — is a local radio station broadcasting in the UK to the site of The Glastonbury Festival. It operates under a Restricted Service Licence (RSL) , issued by Ofcom. Previously the licence had been issued to Radio Avalon, which had broadcast to the… …   Wikipedia

  • worthy of — good enough to have been written, said, done, or created by (someone, especially someone famous) a symphony worthy of Mahler [=the kind of symphony that Mahler would write] see also ↑worthy 2 (above), 1 • • • Main Entry: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Worthy — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: James Worthy (* 1961), US amerikanischer Basketballspieler Trevor H. Worthy, neuseeländischer Paläozoologe Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselb …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • worthy — [wʉr′thē] adj. worthier, worthiest [ME worthi] 1. having worth, value, or merit 2. having enough worth or merit (for someone or something specified); meriting: often with of or an infinitive [a man worthy of her, a candidate worthy to be… …   English World dictionary

  • Worthy — Wor thy, v. t. To render worthy; to exalt into a hero. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • worthy — ► ADJECTIVE (worthier, worthiest) 1) (often worthy of) deserving or good enough. 2) deserving effort, attention, or respect. 3) showing good intent but lacking in humour or imagination. ► NOUN (pl. worthies) often humorous …   English terms dictionary

  • -worthy — [wʉr′thē] combining form 1. worthy of; deserving [praiseworthy] 2. safe or suitable for [seaworthy] …   English World dictionary

  • Worthy — Wor thy, n.; pl. {Worthies}. A man of eminent worth or value; one distinguished for useful and estimable qualities; a person of conspicuous desert; much used in the plural; as, the worthies of the church; political worthies; military worthies.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • worthy — index capable, condign, constructive (creative), desirable (qualified), entitled, exemplary, fit …   Law dictionary

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