riches

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪt͡ʃɪz/
• Hyphenation: rich‧es
• Rhymes: -ɪtʃɪz

From Middle English riches, plural of riche (“power, wealth”), from Old English rīċe (“power, authority, dominion”). Confused with Middle English richesse (“wealth”), from Old French richesse, from riche (“rich, wealthy”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish *rīki (“rich”) from Proto-Germanic *rīkijaz (“rich, powerful”), from Proto-Indo-European *reg- (“to straighten, direct, make right”). Akin to Old High German rīhhi (“rich”) (German reich (“rich”)), Old English rīċe (“rich”), Old English racu (“explanation, reasoning”). More at rich.

riches pl (plural only)

1. Money, goods, wealth, treasure.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 12:

     Cal. […] Sometimes a thouſand twangling Inſtruments
     Will hum about mine eares ; and ſometime voices,
     That if I then had wak'd after long ſleepe,
     Will make me ſleepe againe, and then in dreaming,
     The clouds methought would open, and ſhew riches
     Ready to drop vpon me, that when I wak'd
     I cri'de to dreame againe.

2. (figurative) An abundance of anything desirable.

   You will enjoy the riches of this forest.

• See also Thesaurus:wealth

• embarrassment of riches

• rich

From rich +‎ -es (plural suffix) by analogy with poors (“poor people”).

riches pl (plural only)

1. (rare, nonstandard) Rich people.

   Synonym: wealthies

   Antonym: poors

   • 1929 March, A. C. Amy, “‘Well, when I was at the War—⁠—’”, in William H[eaton] Horrocks, C. J. Coppinger, editors, Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps, volume LII, number 3, London: John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, Ltd. […], page 189:

     Mr. Chander Lall Mookerji wrote to me thus: “The youngs and the olds, the highs and the lows, the riches and the poors, all join together in praising Your Honour’s magnanimity.”

   • 2012, Constantin Portelli, “The Italian Fascism”, in The Big Transition, Pittsburgh, Pa.: RoseDog Books, →ISBN:

     In Antiquity has also existed social conflicts between the poor men and the riches.

   • 2015, Jings Chen, chapter 18, in South Texas Never Raided, Partridge Publishing Singapore, →ISBN:

     […] South America used to be a heaven for the riches and the hell for the poors and it's true.

   • 2016, A. Wilding Wells, “Snowvale”, in Sunshine Bleeds a Black Edge (The Wild Things; 3), Hyp Notic Press, →ISBN:

     She slips her rosary out of her purse, works her fingers over the beads, and continues chanting her list of deads. It’s one of her many lists. And one of her many quirks. She’s list obsessed. The deads, the gays, the riches, the poors, the outs, the down-and-outs. […] And, after my sister, Opal committed suicide, she dipped deeper into the buggy pot. […] After Dad passed, our long-distance phone conversations took on all kinds of new eccentricities. […] The deads were not going to be disregarded, according to Mom.

   • 2020, Derya Öztürk, chapter 9, in Robin Hood (Stage-1), İstanbul: Maviçatı Yayınları, →ISBN:

     They live in the forest, steal from the riches and help the poors.

   • 2021, Manya Srivastava, “Don't Judge a Book by It's^[sic] Cover”, in Alfesha Zeeshan, Saher Beig, compilers, Musing, Rourkela, Odisha: Unvoiced Heart; Spectrum of Thoughts, →ISBN, page 77:

     The riches have money not happiness / The poors are happy but penniless

• Chiers, shicer

• IPA^(key): /ʁiʃ/

• Audio

  (file)

riches

1. plural of riche

• chéris

riches

1. second-person singular present subjunctive of richar
2. second-person singular preterite indicative of rir

riches

1. Alternative form of richesse

riches

1. plural of riche (“realm”)

   Synonym: richen

riches pl

1. plural of riche (“rich”)