Moneybags

/ˈmʌniˌbæɡz/ noun

Definition

a person who is very rich or has lots of money; a derogatory term for a wealthy person.

Etymology

Compound of 'money' (from Old French 'monee' and Latin 'moneta') and 'bags' (from Old Norse 'baggi'). The term emerged in the 19th century as a mocking reference to wealthy merchants and their obvious wealth.

Kelly Says

In the board game Monopoly, there's literally a character called 'Moneybags,' and everyone joked about needing to be 'moneybags' to actually finish a game—because it takes forever and costs a fortune in bank notes!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.