▪ I. rich
obs. form of reek n.1
▪ II. rich, a., adv., and n.
(rɪtʃ)
Forms: α. 1–2 r{iacu}ce (also 1 compar. riccre, superl. ricceste), 2–6 riche, 3 ri(c)hche, 3–5 ricche, 4–6 ryche (5 ryiche), 6 reche, rache, rytche, rutche; 4 rycch, 5–6 rych, 6 rytch, ritch, 4– rich. β. 4–5 rik(e, 5–6 Sc. ryk(e, 6 Sc. ryik.
[Com. Teut.: OE. r{iacu}ce, = OFris. rîke, rîk (mod.Fris. ryk, rik-, † rijck), MDu. rijke, rijck, etc. (Du. rijk), OS. rîki (MLG. rîke, LG. rîk), OHG. rîchi, rîche (G. reich), ON. r{iacu}kr (Norw. and Sw. rik, Da. rig), Goth. reiks, believed to represent an early Teutonic adoption of Celtic rīx = L. rēx king.
In ME. the use of the word may have been reinforced by F. riche (= Sp. rico, It. ricco), itself of Teutonic origin. This would help to explain the early disappearance of the northern form rike.]
I. adj.
† 1. a. Of persons: Powerful, mighty, exalted, noble, great. Obs.
In many OE. and ME. passages it is difficult to decide whether this or sense 2 is mainly intended.
| a 900 O.E. Martyrol. 27 Dec., Rice hæðene men hine snidon þæt he dranc attor. c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. iv. xxviii. (1890) 368 Se..cyning sylfa, & se halᵹa bysceop..& moniᵹe oðre æfæste weras & rice [L. potentes]. c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives i. 12 Ne on-dret he him nanes þinges, forðan þe he næfð nenne riccran. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1087 Swa þæt þa riceste Frencisce men..wolden swican heora hlaforde. 1129 Ibid. an. 1129 Þa ricceste men of Rome. c 1205 Lay. 27232 Ich æm rihchest alre kinge vnder gode seolue. a 1275 Luue Ron 97 in O.E. Misc. 96 He is ricchest mon of londe,..Alle heo beoþ to his honde. a 1300 Cursor M. 9 O kyng arthour þat was so rike. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2685 Bot whoso myghte, of oþer wan; Þat rycchest were, most bar þem stout. a 1400–50 Alexander 197 In reuerence of þe riche kyng at had þer rewme gydid. Ibid. 351 As arly as þe riche qwene was resyn fra slepe. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 402 He is the raillest roy, reuerend and rike. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. III. 7 King Henrie passit into France With mony rynk that ryall wes and ryke In plane battell. |
† b. Of things: Powerful, strong. Obs.
| a 1000 Daniel 457 Wæron hyra rædas rice, siððan hie rodera waldend..wið þone hearm ᵹescylde. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 106 Of ᵹeal adle..cymeþ great yfel; sio biþ ealra adla ricust. c 1205 Lay. 26796 Walwain..ridende igrap Petreiun on richen his [c 1275 his gode] steden. c 1470 Henry Wallace vi. 547 With rych hors the Scottis befor thaim raid. Ibid. ix. 18 Aryet the hot syng coloryk, In to the Ram, quhilk had his rowmys ryk. |
2. a. Having large possessions or abundant means; wealthy, opulent.
| α c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. iii. v, Þa feoh þe him rice men sealdon [L. a divitibus]. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 204 Þæs rican mannes welan sind his sawle alysednyss. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 53 Þes riche men þe habbeð þes mucheles weorldes ehte. a 1225 Ancr. R. 66 Þe wreche peoddare more noise he makeð..þen a riche mercer. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 495 Corn & frut hom wax inouȝ..so þat hii were riche inou in a stounde. c 1375 Cursor M. 27830 (Fairf.), Bot maste riche men rewes me, þat of þe pouer has na pite. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 214 Sche per cas that richest is And hath of gold a Milion. c 1450 Merlin 3 Whiche yaf to hym all her part of that she hadde, and here lord was right a ryiche man. 1538 Starkey England i. iii. 98 When the fermys of al such pasturys..are brought to the handys of a few and rychar men. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 228 To bee rich is the gift of Fortune, to bee wise the grace of God. 1624 Massinger Renegado iii. ii, Rich sons forget they ever had poor fathers. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxvii. 161 To Robbe a poore man, is a greater Crime, than to robbe a rich man. 1707 J. Stevens tr. Quevedo's Com. Wks. (1709) 310 There is no doubt but that you imagin'd me to be as rich as Crœsus. 1770 Goldsm. Des. Vill. 142 He was..passing rich with forty pounds a year. 1802 M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. ix. 71 You cannot be rich and poor at the same time. 1862 Ruskin Unto this Last iv. 128 The persons who become rich are, generally speaking, industrious. |
| fig. 1828 Carlyle Misc. (1857) I. 218 Hume was too rich a man to borrow. 1841 Macaulay in Trevelyan Life (1876) II. 101 At present I consider myself as one of the richest men of my acquaintance. 1872 Cayler Heart-Thoughts 31 Would you grow rich toward God? Then learn to give. |
| β a 1300 Cursor M. 12492 And was þar wonnand in þat wik, þat hight iosep, a burges rik. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xlvi. (Anastas) 287 God bad sel al þe gudis þat I had, & gif pure men, & nocht ryk. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xxxviii. 5868 The land had rest, the folk ware ryke. 1535 [see 12 b]. |
b. Of places, countries, etc.: Abounding in wealth or natural resources.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1280 Ðoȝ it was noȝt is kinde lond; Richere he it leet ðan he it fond. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. iii. 207 That is þe richest rewme þat reyne ouer houeth. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. xviii. 104 b, They doe lodge them⁓selues..in the best and richest house. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. xi. 22 Those warlike women, which so long Can from all men so rich a kingdome hold! 1666 Dryden Ann. Mirab. cxliii, With cord and canvas from rich Hamburg sent His navy's moulted wings he imps once more. 1742 Richardson De Foe's Tour Gt. Brit. III. 285 A Town which, in its flourishing State, was said to be the richest in Christendom. 1787 Maty tr. Riesbeck's Trav. Germany III. 238 The monks fare particularly well in so rich a Country. 1802 Pinkerton Mod. Geogr. (1811) 634 New Spain is by far the richest mineral country in the world. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 1321 That shrine which then in all the realm Was richest. |
3. a. With preps.: Wealthy in, having abundance † of, amply provided with, some form of property or valuable possessions.
| c 1200 Ormin 6384, Laban wass an riche mann I werelld⁓þingess sellþe. Ibid. 12084 Þeȝȝ hafenn mikell fe & sinndenn riche off ahhte. c 1205 Lay. 4063 Heo weoren richere of golde & of garisume. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xiii. 2 He was for⁓sothe ful riche in possessioun of siluer and of gold. 14.. Theophilus i, Wyse clerk & a man of myȝt And riche of gold & fee. 1470–85 Malory Arthur iii. xv. 118 Them that were of londes not ryche he gaf them londes. 1530 Palsgr. 322/2 Ryche of substance, riche, opulent. 1596 [see b]. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. xx. 186 High rockes, the which are very rich in mines. 1697 Dryden æneid vi. 1181 He moves with manly grace, how rich with regal spoils! 1756 Smart tr. Horace, Ep. vi, The king of the Cappadocians, though rich in slaves, is in want of coin. 1802 Pinkerton Mod. Geogr. (1811) 632 note, The mines..not less rich in gold and silver. 1843 Penny Cycl. XXVI. 230/1 Like most other Venetian churches, [it is] rich in paintings. |
b. transf. or fig. in various applications.
| c 1205 Lay. 18929 Ich am on rade rihchest alre monnen. a 1300 Cursor M. 11312 For pouert thar naman mislik Quils he es in god truth rike. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 479 Riche he was of holy thoght and werk. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxiv. 3 Sweit roiss of vertew.., Richest in bontie. 1596 Drayton Legends i. 826 They rich in Gold, he onely rich in Wounds. a 1691 Boyle Hist. Air (1692) 55 Nature is much more rich in things, than our dictionaries are in words. 1750 Gray Elegy 50 Her ample page, Rich with the spoils of time. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest i, Rich with wood, and fading away in blue and distant mountains. 1845 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 2 Our own immediate age is confessedly rich in works of the historical class. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 126 The river-water..is usually rich in organic impurities. |
4. a. Valuable; of great worth or value.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3937 Balaac sente richere and mo Medes, and oðer men to ðo. a 1300 Cursor M. 5120 Als he gaue þam giftes rik. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 4055 (Kölbing), Þe siluer to part & þe gold & mani oþer riche þinges. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 16 With ribanes of red golde and of riche stones. a 1400–50 Alexander 1572 With releckis..þe richest on þe auutere. 1470–85 Malory Arthur iv. vii. 126 He kepeth from hym a ful fair maner and a ryche. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 414 b, There is a very ritch promotion ecclesiasticall whiche he had sued for manye moneths. 1595 Raleigh Discov. Gviana (1887) 120 The great, good, and rich trade with England may be possessed of thereby. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. xviii. 430 Counting them⁓selves the petty-Landlords of the times, to whom rich fines and heriots would accrue upon every exchange. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. 145 Some of the Portuguese..put their richest Goods into a Boat, ready to take their flight on the first Alarm. 1738 Gray Tasso 61 In one rich mass unite their prescious store. 1788 Gibbon Decl. & F. xlix. V. 136 The first fruits were paid in his rich offerings to the shrine of the apostle. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 142 A rich harvest for Norman spoilers. |
b. Of non-material things.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 25/53 Huy bi-heten him þe Ioye of heouene þat so riche was and is. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 4058 (Kölbing), Arthour þouȝt gode afin Þe riche conseyl of Merlin. 1612 Bacon Ess., Of Despatch (Arb.) 244 True dispatch is a rich thing. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 1223 As much fairer—as a faith once fair Was richer than these diamonds. |
† c. Choice; good of its kind. Obs. rare.
| c 1315 Shoreham i. 1575 By-tuixe god and holy folk Loue hys wel trye and ryche. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 523 (Kölbing), Loke, þat tre & ston be riche, Þe tour largge & depe þe diche. |
5. a. Of dress, etc.: Splendid, costly; of expensive or superior material or make.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 33 A man..bicam uppe þeues, and hie him bireueden alle hise riche weden. a 1300 Cursor M. 5167 He..sagh þam cled in pall sa rike. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iii. 14 Hure robe was ryccher þan ich rede couthe. c 1450 St. Cuthbert 812 Þai se þe woman in ryche wedis. 1508 Dunbar Gold. Targe 88 Thare saw I Nature present hir a goun Rich to behald. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 190 b, His high cap of estate..garnished with twoo riche Crounes. 1591 Spenser M. Hubberd 582 The Mule all deckt in goodly rich aray. 1617 Boyle in Lismore Papers (1886) I. 157, I gave Sir Robert Steward a ritch pair of gloves. 1662 J. Davies tr. Mandelslo's Trav. 119 On each side of the head Pendants as rich as can be imagined. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess of Mar 10 Mar., I don't doubt these rich habits were purposely placed in sight. 1761–2 [see habit n. 1 b]. 1807 Crabbe Par. Reg. iii. 338 Silks beyond price, so rich, they'd stand alone. 1865 Kingsley Herew. vi, His handsome palfrey, furry cloak, rich gloves and boots. |
b. Of buildings, furniture, etc.: Made of, or adorned with, valuable materials; also, elaborately ornamented or wrought.
| c 1205 Lay. 4286 In are riche temple mid golde heo hine bi-tunden. a 1300 Cursor M. 415 To þis palais at was sua rike..he fordestend tuin creature. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xx. 180 Gode herte he hente, And rode so to reuel a ryche place and a merye. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9085 To be entiret trietly in a toumbe riche, As bi-come for a kyng in his kythe riche. 1430 Lydg. in Parker Dom. Archit. (1859) III. 125 The ryche coynyng of ryche tablementis. 1506 in Mem. Hen. VII (Rolls) 285 Which was richly hanged with cloth or arras and a great rich bed in the same chamber. 1533 Wriothesley Chron. (Camden) I. 19 She herself riding in a rytch chariott covered with cloath of silver. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 262 The roofe is beautified with pictures of that rich painting which Italians call alla Mosaica. 1815 [see ribbed ppl. a. 2 c]. 1848 Rickman Styles Archit. Eng. 212 The whole of the interior of the richer buildings of this style, is more or less a series of panels. 1864 D. G. Mitchell Sev. Stor. 220 An ancient bronze knocker..of rich Venetian sculpture. |
† c. In a more general sense: Fine, splendid, magnificent. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 11159 Þa læuedi Elene..to Jerusalem wende mid richere genge. 13.. Coer de L. 5899 That castle was strong and ryche, In the world was non it lyche. c 1400 Rom. Rose 4184 The tour was rounde maad in compas; In alle this world no riccher was. c 1400 Tourn. Tottenham in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 91 Alle the wyues of Totenham come..To fech home thaire husbondis..; that was a rich sight. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 248 Apone that riche river..The side-wallis war set. 1578 Lyte Dodoens v. xxxiii. 593 In her most ryche and pleasant gardens. |
d. Of feasts, etc.: Sumptuous, luxurious.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 10977 Richard..made so noble feste Þat of alle þat me wuste it was þe richoste & þe meste. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 6521 (Kölbing), In halle þai hadden riche seruise. c 1375 Cursor M. 3532 (Fairf.), His broþer he fande sone in siȝt A riche soper for to diȝt. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies v. xxviii. 411 They called it Capacrayme, which is to say, a rich and principall feast. 1757 Gray Bard 78 The rich repast prepare. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 113 He..spreads the honey of his deep research At his return—a rich repast for me. 1813 Byron Corsair ii. iv, Methinks he strangely spares the rich repast. |
6. a. Of choice or superior quality; esp. of articles of food or drink with reference to their stimulative or nourishing effects; also, composed of choice ingredients; containing plenty of fat, butter, eggs, sugar, fruit, etc.
| c 1330 Sir Beues 732 Riche baþes ȝhe let him make. c 1400 Leg. Rood (1871) 151 At many a betyr wownde, Þe ryche blod out spronge. a 1400–50 Alexander 4822 Þare fand þai Revers,..ricchest of þe werd..; Was neuir no mede ne no milke so mild. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 148 Thai..raucht the cop round about full off riche wynis. 1625 Massinger New Way i. iii, There came, not six days since, from Hull, a pipe Of rich Canary. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 789 He never..surfeited on rich Campanian Wine. 1714 Pope Hor. Satire ii. vi. 202 That Jelly's rich, this Malmsey healing. 1781 Cowper Truth 364 As leanest land supplies the richest wine. 1824 S. E. Ferrier Inher. xi, The richest of cakes, and the strongest and sweetest of wines. 1844 Stephens Bk. Farm II. 169 A great favourite..on account of the pieces of rich fat in it. Ibid., The nap or shin is..not so rich and fine. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. II. x. 106 Every man..with a bowl of rich gravy-soup between his knees. 1901 Beeton All about Cookery 352 Richer rolls may be made by adding 2 or 3 eggs and a larger proportion of butter. |
b. Of colour: Strong, deep, warm.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 5641 (Kölbing), His pensel hadde riche colour, Alle he was couched wiþ azur. c 1375 Cursor M. 17867 (Fairf.), Brighter thanne þe sonnys beme So riche purpowr hew is non. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. Prol. (Skeat) l. 14 Some men there ben that peynten with colours riche. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9130 Hir face..was red as the Roses, richest of coloure. c 1450 Merlin 384 Ther myght oon haue seyn..many a fressh banere of riche colour wave in the wynde. a 1510 Douglas K. Hart i. 90 Richt as the rose..In ruby colour reid most ryck of hew. 1657 R. Ligon Barbadoes (1673) 81 A rich green, with stripes of yellow so intermixt, as hardly to be discerned where they are. 1747 Gray Cat 17 Their scaly armour's Tyrian hue, Thro' richest purple, to the view Betray'd a golden gleam. 1830 Tennyson Arab. Nts. 82 A sudden splendour from behind Flush'd all the leaves with rich gold-green. 1889 Sat. Rev. 16 Mar. 326/1 The celebrated Monarque, who was a rich bay horse. |
† c. Of the nose or face: Highly inflamed. Obs.
| 1610 Boys Wks. (1629) 528 At last his house doth cast him out at the doore, having nothing rich excepting a rich nose. 1638 R. Brathwait Barnabees Jrnl. i. (1818) 41 Let Bacchus' bush bee Barnabee's rich nose. 1796 Grose's Vulg. T. (ed. 3), Rich Face or Nose, a red pimpled face. |
d. Of musical sounds: Full and mellow in tone. Also fig.
| 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. ii. vi. 27 Let rich musickes tongue Vnfold the imagin'd happinesse. 1754 Gray Poesy 7 Now the rich stream of music winds along. 1760 Sterne Tr. Shandy iv. xxv, Up started an air in the middle of it, so fine, so rich, so heavenly. 1836 Dubourg Violin ix. (1878) 268 The Amati family..constructed instruments of a soft and rich tone. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede li, The boy's flute-like voice has its own spring charm; but the man should yield a richer, deeper music. |
e. Of odours: Full of fragrance.
| 1599 B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. v. ii, Is the perfume rich in this jerkin? 1707 Pope Winter 47 No rich perfumes refresh the fruitful field. 1810 [see perfume n. 1 a]. 1833 Tennyson Song, ‘A spirit haunts’, etc., ii, The moist rich smell of the rotting leaves. |
7. a. Plentiful, abundant, ample.
| c 1450 Merlin 400, I se ther my baners that brynge vs riche socour. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 199 Our dutie is so rich, so infinite, That we may doe it still without accompt. 1741 Watts Improv. Mind i. iii. §2 In order to furnish the mind with a rich variety of ideas. 1745 Scot. Trans. & Paraph. v. ii, In rich Effusion on his Soul My Spirit's Pow'rs shall flow. 1833–4 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VI. 655/1 It yields a most rich supply of molluscous remains. 1867 P. Schaff Hist. Church (1888) VI. v. lxxvii. 459 The event was a rich theme for scandal. |
b. Of a full, ample, or unstinted nature; highly developed or cultivated.
| 1561 Winȝet Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 5 Ȝour nurissing of pure studentis, of ryche ingynis. 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. 364 This sence, we chose rather to follow, as more Rich and August, than that other Vulgar one. 1759 B. Martin Nat. Hist. Eng. I. 78 A very thick and delicious Compound, greatly admired by People of a rich Taste. 1781 Cowper Expost. 166 What nation will you find, whose annals prove So rich an int'rest in almighty love? 1820 Keats Ode Melancholy ii, If thy mistress some rich anger shows, Emprison her soft hand. 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Note-bks. I. 138 This idea..would develop itself into something very rich. 1884 Ruskin Pleas. Eng. 43 The richest fighting element in the British army and navy is British native. |
c. rich rhyme: (see quots.).
| 1656 Cowley Pindar. Odes, To Dr. Scarborough Note ii, Find, Refind: These kinds of Rhymes the French delight in, and call Rich Rhymes. 1727–38 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Rhyme, Double Rhymes, by the French called rich rhymes, are those where the two words terminate alike through the whole two last syllables. 1866 Chambers' Encycl. VIII. 233/2 Complete identity in all the parts of the syllables constitutes what the French call rich rhime. |
d. Highly entertaining or amusing; also, preposterous, outrageous.
| 1760 Sterne Tr. Shandy iv. vii, O Garrick!—what a rich scene of this would thy exquisite powers make! 1836 Fonblanque Eng. under 7 Administr. (1837) III. 313 This is marvellously rich. Sir O. Mosley thinking work on the Sabbath a sin, compounds for obliging servants to commit it. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xxi, The scene was rich: the gravity with which the Doctor carried on the quiz was admirable. 1863 Cowden Clarke Shaks. Char. iv. 97 But what a rich set of fellows those ‘mechnicals’ are! 1889 L. B. Walford Stiff-necked Generation xxix, If it really is so, it would be the richest thing I ever knew in my life. 1936 N. Coward To-night at 8.30 II. 40 Me, grumble! I like that, I'm sure. That's rich, that is. 1977 J. Anderson Appearance of Evil i. 6 ‘You have experienced a spontaneous demonstration of disapproval..at your last recital.’ ‘Spontaneous! That's rich.’ |
8. a. Of mines or ores: Yielding a large quantity or proportion of the precious metals. Also rich conduit (see quot. 1839).
| 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 177 Rytcher golde mynes are founde in Cuba. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iv. v. 218 They cal that poore which yields least silver,..and that riche which yields most silver. 1670 Pettus Fodinæ Reg. 9 Where the Oar digged from any Mine doth yield..so much Gold or Silver,..then it is called rich Oar or a Mine Royal. 1758 Reid tr. Macquer's Chym. I. 398 The oldest and richest mine of Mercury is that of Almaden in Spain. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 816 The conduit or water⁓course is divided into three portions.., called the rich conduit, the middle conduit, and the inferior. Ibid. 1124 The argentiferous or rich lead is treated in Germany by the cupellation furnace. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 236 This enables capitalists to buy up the richest ores of men who produce but comparatively few tons. |
| fig. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 46, I cannot see what helpe there is in study without a rich veine. |
| Comb. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 42 The rich-ore bodies, however, seem to occur in lenticular masses. |
b. Of soil, lands, etc.: Abounding in the qualities necessary to produce good vegetation or crops.
| 1577 B. Googe Herebach's Husb. i. (1586) 30 It is cast into very riche grounde or wel manured. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 130 The Thasian Vines in richer Soils abound. 1703 Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1732) 3 We came into a very rich Valley. 1786 Abercrombie Gard. Assist. 69 Earth the beds..with rich, light, dry earth. 1813 Sir H. Davy Agric. Chem. (1814) 185 Such soils merit the appellation which is commonly given to them of rich soils. 1865 Kingsley Herew. Prel., Its herds of mares and colts, which fed with the cattle and the geese in the rich grass-fen. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. III. xci. 256 One of the richest wheat-growing districts on the continent. |
| Comb. 1889 Westgarth Austral. Progress 187 The flats and rich-soil marshes had much of the New Zealand flax. |
c. Of sand (see first quot.) or lime.
| 1838 J. T. Smith tr. Vicat's Mortars 44 This powder renders the sand ‘rich’, or, in other terms, susceptible of a certain cohesion, when tempered with water. Ibid. 186 The known absence of action of the hydrate of rich lime upon quartz. |
d. Of the mixture in an internal-combustion engine: containing an amount of fuel greater than that required for complete combustion.
| 1915 G. A. Burls Aero Engines vi. 106 The rich mixture is diluted by additional air supplied through the light adjustable spring-loaded automatic air-valve. 1917 Wodehouse Uneasy Money x. 117 Your chauffeur, having examined the carburettor, turns to you and explains the phenomenon in these words: ‘The mixture is too rich.’ 1920 R. B. Whitman Tractor Princ. iv. 55 The most serious result of a rich mixture..is in the production of carbon, and the carbonization of the engine. 1971 P. J. McMahon Aircraft Propulsion vi. 196 During an acceleration..the fuel/air ratio will already be richer than for normal steady running. |
II. adv. and Comb. (Cf. richly adv.)
9. a. With pa. pples. used predicatively.
| 13.. K. Alis. 4166 (Bodl. MS.), Þer weren coupes riche ywrouȝth. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 39 Welle arraied with riche clothinge, and riche atyred of perles and presious stones. 1595 T. Edwards Cephalus & Procris L'Envoy, Adon deafly masking thro Stately troupes rich conceited. 1606 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. ii. Magnificence 270 Not far from her, comes Wealth, all rich-bedight. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 538 Th' Imperial Ensign..With Gemms and Golden lustre rich imblaz'd. 1671 ― P.R. ii. 352 In order stood Tall stripling youths rich clad. 1718 Blackmore Alfred iii. (1723) 88 Whither rich-laden num'rous Fleets resort. |
b. With pa. pples., forming attrib. combs.
| 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, i. vi. 25 The rich-iewel'd Coffer of Darius. 1593 ― Lucr. 1524 The shining glory Of rich-built Ilion. 1608 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. Decay 213 The rich-perfumed royall Carrion. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iv. ii. 226 Those rich-left-heyres, that let their Fathers lye Without a Monument. 1634 Milton Comus 556 A steam of rich distill'd Perfumes. 1663 Wood Life (O.H.S.) I. 493 A rich imbroidered purse. 1776 Mickle tr. Camoens' Lusiad 70 Rich-figured tap'stry now supplies the sail. 1807 Crabbe Par. Reg. iii. 386 A rich-bound Book of Prayer the Captain gave. 1848 W. S. Mayo Kaloolah (1850) 170 The merchants..with rich-laden camels. 1864 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 15 From easy runnels the rich-piecèd land I water with my foot. |
c. In parasynthetic combs.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. ii. 16 As when two rams..Fight for the rule of the rich fleeced flocke. a 1756 Collins Ode Poet. Char. 39 Thou rich-hair'd youth of morn. 1820 Keats Isabella xiv, Many..stood, To take the rich-ored driftings of the flood. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. lxxv, What..voice the richest-toned that sings, Hath power to give thee as thou wert? 1889 Pater G. de Latour (1896) 17 He hunted the rich-fleshed game of La Beauce through the..corn. 1925 Blunden Eng. Poems 93 Rich-tongued anew The foreign birds are come. |
10. a. With verbs. rare—1.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xiii. (Mark) Prol. 82 Sa sancte Iohnne, quhene he spekis, to godis godhed rycheste rekis. |
b. With pres. pples., forming attrib. combs.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 351 So fitly did the rich⁓growing marble serue to beautifie the vault of the first entry. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 963 This coal has been found to afford..a very rich-burning gas. 1842 Is. Williams Baptistery i. v. (1874) 58 What I thought rich-glittering spoil, Was but the [serpent's] scales. 1881 Macm. Mag. XLIV. 86 Mrs. Osmond's warm, rich-looking reception-rooms. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 726 Those richlooking..drinks those stagedoor johnnies drink with the opera hats. 1930 E. Waugh Vile Bodies x. 195 A really good story my second day on the paper. This ought to do me good with the Excess—very rich-making. |
11. In reduplicated form.
| a 1725 E. Taylor Dialogue between Justice & Mercy in Poet. Wks. (1939) 40, I to him will hold out in my hand The golden scepter of my Rich-Rich Grace. 1963 P. H. Johnson Night & Silence x. 58 Living with the rich-rich suited him right now. 1974 ‘J. Melville’ Nun's Castle viii. 176 Ted probably was rich. Not superlatively rich (rich rich as the slang goes) but solidly, comfortably endowed. 1977 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 13 Apr. 14/3 Karl Lagerfeld always puts together a mouth-watering collection for Chloe (aiming towards those rich-rich women who buy from Valentino). |
III. absol. or as n.
12. Those who are rich; rich persons as a class. a. With the. Also in phr. the rich get richer (and the poor get poorer).
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxviii. §7 Þæm wære mare ðearf..þæt him mon þingode to þæm ricum. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke i. 52 He awearp þa rican of setle. c 1205 Lay. 2564 Þa riche he makede wrecchas. c 1275 ― 11378 He..sloh þe Romleode, þe pore and þe riche. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 149, I rede þe riche haue reuþe on þe pore. 1426 Audelay Poems (Percy Soc.) 10 The pore schul be made domysmen Apon the ryche at domysday. c 1475 [see poor a. 7]. 1738 Wesley ‘O Thou, whose Wisdom’ ii, The Rich, the Poor, the Mean, the Great Are link'd by thy strong Hands. 1781 Cowper Hope 18 The rich grow poor, the poor become purse-proud. 1817 Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) IV. ii. 75 The rich..do not, in general, require to be so much stimulated to benevolence. 1921 Kahn & Egan Ain't we got Fun (song) 5 There's nothing surer The rich get rich and the poor get children. 1936 C. Sandburg People, Yes 164 The rich get richer and the poor get children. The rich have baby napkins, the poor have diapers. 1972 Times 8 May 14/1 It is the old story of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, this time by courtesy of Dr Borlaug's miracle grains. 1973 Black Panther 31 Mar. C/1 County underassessment too, perpetuates the ‘rich get richer’ cycle in Oakland. |
| Comb. 1609 J. Davies (Heref.) Humours Heauen on Earth ccxlv. Wks. (Grosart) I. 29/2 The working woes of th' idle-curious; Of the Rich-couetous. |
b. Without article.
| c 1200 Ormin 16139 Acc stanndeþþ upp biforenn follc, Biforenn riche & kene. a 1300 Cursor M. 1796 All tok a right, bath pouer and Rike, All hade a dom, bath riche and pour. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints l. (Catherine) 17 Þat þai suld cume, bath gret & small,..bath poure & Rik. 1433 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 476/2 Do right as well to poure as to ryche. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 445 Pluralitie of meit and drink siclike, Forbiddin wes bayth for puir and ryke. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 13 As we forgeue all Creature Offendand vs, baith ryche and pure. 1622 Drayton Poly-olb. xxii. 536 Then [Cade] goodly London took, There ransoming some rich. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cvi, Ring out the feud of rich and poor. |
13. One who is rich; a rich person. Also in phr. new rich: cf. new a. 8 d.
| c 1205 Lay. 24967 Þa iherde Arður..and þus spac þe riche wið raȝen his folke. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 37 The riche ayeinward cride tho: ‘O Habraham’ [etc.]. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 4885 Þe worlde fauorith ay þe riches sawe, Þow þat his conseil be noght worth an hawe. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 1265 Yone riche cummis arait in riche robbing. 1611 Bible Prov. xiv. 20 The poore is hated euen of his owne neighbour: but the rich hath many friends. 1909 Daily Chron. 3 Nov. 3/5 It is concerned with the intrusion of Saul Dene, a ‘new rich’, into a Yorkshire country set. |
▪ III. rich, v.1
Also 4 reche, 4–5 ryche, 4–6 riche, 6 ritch.
[ME. riche(n, = OFris. rîkia, MDu. rīken, rijcken, OHG. rîhhan, rîchan to become rich, MLG. rîken, ryken to make rich.]
1. trans. To enrich, make rich.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7481 Þe man þat him wald fight a-gain,..I suld him riche in all his lijf. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 77 Thanne he schal be riched so, That it mai faile neveremo. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 186 For y-now he hath, that Is appayet of that, that he i-richet is. 1483 Act 1 Rich. III, c. 8 Preamble, Youre Realme..hath greatly ben encresed and riched. 1515 St. Papers Hen. VIII, II. 10 Who richeith the Kinges treasor, and repayreith his cofers.., saue the Comyns? 1567 Drant Horace Ep. ii. i. H iiij, To ritch his cuntry let his words lyke flowing water fall. 1610 Heywood Gold. Age iv. i, Those barren Kingdomes I haue richt with spoiles. 1657 W. Burton Comm. Itin. Antoninus (1658) 162 Thus richt, thus populous, thus great. 1912 J. Masefield Widow in Bye Street 86 Sunwarm gorses rich the air with scent. 1925 E. O'Neill Desire under Elms i. iv. 50 Blood an' bone an' sweat—rotted away—fertilizin' ye—richin' yer soul—prime manure, by God, that's what I been t' ye! 1955 E. Pound Classic Anthol. ii. 126 Falls snow, fine sleet Plus drizzle and soak Riching, by mulch, full favour the grain Of all our folk. |
| absol. 13.. Pol., Rel., & L. Poems 260 Hit resteþ and hit quemeþ; hit richeþ and hit demeþ. 1382 Wyclif 1 Sam. ii. 7 The Lord makith pore, and richeth. |
† 2. intr. To become rich. Obs.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 3014 Wiþ richesse i wol ȝou reward forto riche for euer. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 74 Þei..recheþ þorw Regratorie and Rentes hem buggeþ. c 1450 in 3rd Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. 280/1 The Frensshe partie & the Duke of Suffolk riched, the trewe subjects lost her londe. 1721 Kelly Scot. Prov. 24 As the Carle riches, he wratches. |
Hence † ˈriching vbl. n. Obs.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 445 O cause is dowing of þe chirche & riching þer-of ouer cristis wille. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. viii. 327 It wolde folewe that thilk riching of the aungel was vicioseli doon of God. |
▪ IV. † rich, v.2 Obs.
Forms: 4–5 rijch-, rich-, ricch-, richche(n.
[Perh. repr. an OE. *ryccan, = MDu. and MLG. rucken (Du. rukken), OHG. rucchen (G. rücken), ON. rykkja (Sw. rykka, Da. rykke) to tug, pull.
The evidence for the word appears to be entirely limited to the alliterative poems cited below. A variant form ruche also occurs in Gaw. & Gr. Knt.]
1. trans. To draw, pull (a rein).
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 1231 Þe king..Ricchis his reynys & the Reenke metys. Ibid. 1258 He Richet his Reynes and his roile stroke. |
2. refl. To address (oneself) to a place, or to do something.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 8 Riche Romulus to Rome ricchis hym swyþe. Ibid. 1309 He ryches hym to ryse, & rapes hym sone. a 1400–50 Alexander 5056 He risis vp belyue, Riches him radly to ride & remows his ost. |
b. intr. To take one's way; to run.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1898 Þer as he herd þe howndes,..Renaud com richchande þurȝ a roȝe greue. |
3. refl. To dress or array (oneself).
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1130 Gestes þat go wolde..trussen her males, Richen hem þe rychest, to ryde alle arayde. Ibid. 1873 When ho was gon, sir G. gerez hym sone, Rises, & riches hym in araye noble. |
4. trans. To direct, advise.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1223 Ȝe schal not rise of your bedde, I rych yow better. |
5. To arrange, prepare (a thing).
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2206 Þat gere as I trowe, Is ryched at þe reuerence, me renk to mete. |
6. To adjust, settle, set right, restore.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 1736 Thes redurse to riche..Hit were sittyng, me semys. Ibid. 2059 To wreke hym of wrathe & his wrong riche. Ibid. 13149, I..Restid me rifely, ricchit my seluyn. |