Pelf refers to wealth or riches, especially when dishonestly acquired. The word originates from Anglo-French meaning "booty" or "stolen goods."
Pelf bezeichnet Reichtum oder Vermögen, besonders wenn er unehrlich erworben wurde. Das Wort stammt aus dem Angelsächsischen und bedeutet "Beute" oder "gestohlene Waren".
| Front | pelf \PELF\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun Wealth or riches, especially when dishonestly acquired. [In the 14th century, the Anglo-French word "pelfre," meaning "booty" or "stolen goods," was exchanged into English as "pelf" with the added meaning of "property." ("Pelfre" is also an ancestor of the English verb "pilfer," meaning "to steal.") Two centuries later "pelf" showed gains when people began to use it for "money" and "riches." In some regions of Britain the word's use was diversified further, in a depreciative way, to refer to trash and good-for-nothings. The first of those meanings was a loss by about the mid-17th century; the second has little value outside of the Yorkshire region of England.] "Despite those titles, power and pelf, The wretch, concentred all in self." Sir Walter Scott, The Lay of the Last Minstrel. |
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