1 pelf | Definition of pelf
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

pelf

noun
\ ˈpelf How to pronounce pelf (audio) \

Definition of pelf

: money, riches
Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about pelf

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for pelf

Synonyms

bread [slang], bucks, cabbage [slang], cash, change, chips, coin, currency, dough, gold, green, jack [slang], kale [slang], legal tender, lolly [British], long green [slang], loot, lucre, money, moola (or moolah) [slang], needful, scratch [slang], shekels (also sheqels), tender, wampum

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Did You Know?

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.

Examples of pelf in a Sentence

a politician who seems more interested in pelf than in policy

First Known Use of pelf

circa 1505, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for pelf

Middle English, from Anglo-French pelfre booty

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on pelf

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with pelf

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pelf

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!