welfare
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welfare
- /ˈwɛlˌfɛə/ UK
- /ˈwɛlˌfɛɚ/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English welefare, probably from the Old English phrase wel faran (“to fare well, get along successfully, prosper”) (cognate with Middle Dutch welvare (“welfare”), Middle Low German wolvare (“welfare”), Middle High German wolvar, wolfar (“welfare”)). Equivalent to well + fare. Compare also West Frisian wolfeart, Dutch welvaart, German Wohlfahrt, Old Norse velferð (whence Swedish välfärd (“welfare”)). The first recorded use in the sense of "social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc." is from 1904 and in the sense of "organized effort to provide for maintenance of members of a group" from 1918.
noun welfares
- Health, safety, happiness and prosperity; well-being in any respect. Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer d
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Shortened form of "welfare spending", "welfare payments", or "welfare assistance".
Oliveira seems to suggest that the Jews of Kiryas Joel are somehow gaming the welfare system to fund their lifestyles, while simultaneously acknowledging the high poverty rates in the town that qualify residents for programs like Medicaid.
Similar: welfare assistance, income support, public assistance, social security
verb welfares · welfaring · welfared
- To provide with welfare or aid. welfaring the poor
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: well-being, benefit, liberal, welfarist, social welfare, upbeat, welfare-statist, wellness, health, caring, prosperity, prosperous, wellbeing, affluence, luxury, richness
Translations
Every language
noun aid, provided by a government, etc.
| Español | seguridad social |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 복지 bokji |
| 日本語 | 福祉 fukushi |
| 中文 | 福利 fúlì, 社會福利 /社会福利 shèhuì fúlì |
| Português | segurança social |
| Français | aide sociale |
| Deutsch | Sozialhilfe, Wohlfahrt |
| Ελληνικά | πρόνοια prónoia |
| Русский | социа́льная по́мощь sociálʹnaja pómoščʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | phúc lợi |
noun health, safety, well-being, happiness and prosperity
| Español | bienestar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 행복 haengbok, 복지 bokji |
| 日本語 | 幸せ shiawase, 幸福 kōfuku, 福祉 fukushi |
| 中文 | 福利 fúlì, 幸福 xìngfú, 康樂 /康乐 kānglè |
| हिन्दी | कल्याण kalyāṇ, कौशल kauśal, ख़ैर xair |
| Português | bem-estar |
| Français | bien-être m| |
| Deutsch | Wohlergehen, Wohlfahrt |
| Ελληνικά | ευημερία evimería |
| Русский | благосостоя́ние blagosostojánije, благополу́чие blagopolúčije, сча́стье sčástʹje |
| العربية | رَفَاهَة rafāha, خَيْر ḵayr |
| עברית | רְוָחָה r'vaẖá |
Talk about this word "welfare." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/welfare. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. welfare. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/welfare "welfare." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/welfare.Cite this
@misc{welfare_2026,
title = {welfare},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/welfare},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
