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Origin and history of welfare

welfare(n.)

Middle English wel-fare, from Old English wel faran "state or condition of doing well," from wel (see well (adv.)) + faran "get along" (see fare (v.)).

By mid-14c. as "safe or secure condition, exemption from evil." Sometimes since Middle English construed as if from well (adj.) "in good fortune." Similar formation in Old Norse velferð. Middle English also had a verb wel-faren "prosper, do well, fare well."

The meaning "social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc." is attested by 1904; the meaning "organized effort to provide for maintenance of members of a group" is from 1918. Welfare state is recorded from 1941; welfarism. by 1949.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to welfare

fare(v.)

Old English faran "to journey, set forth, go, travel, wander, make one's way," also "be, happen, exist; be in a particular condition," from Proto-Germanic *faranan "to go" (source also of Old Saxon, Old High German, Gothic faran, Old Norse and Old Frisian fara, Dutch varen, German fahren), from PIE *por- "going, passage," from root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over." Related: Fared; faring.

well(adv.)

Middle English wel, "in a satisfactory or pleasing manner; laudably, properly," used very broadly to indicate successful accomplishment of the action in the verb it accompanies; from Old English wel "abundantly, very, very much; indeed, to be sure; with good reason; nearly, for the most part."

This is from Proto-Germanic *wel- (source also of Old Saxon wela, Old Norse vel, Old Frisian wel, Dutch wel, Old High German wela, German wohl, Gothic waila "well"), which in Watkins is reconstructed to be from PIE root *wel- (2) "to wish, will" (source also of Sanskrit prati varam "at will," Old Church Slavonic vole "well," Welsh gwell "better," Latin velle "to wish, will," Old English willan "to wish;" see will (v.)).

It has come to be used as the adverb of good. From late 12c. as "in a state of good health, soundly." Also used in Old English as an interjection and an expression of surprise. By mid-12c. as a mere intensifier (may well be).

Expression might as well (do something, as not do it, or as do something else) is by late 14c., as is as well as "in addition to."

*per-(2)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to lead, pass over." A verbal root associated with *per- (1), which forms prepositions and preverbs with the basic meaning "forward, through; in front of, before," etc.

It might form all or part of: aporia; asportation; comport; deport; disport; emporium; Euphrates; export; fare; farewell; fartlek; Ferdinand; fere; fern; ferry; firth; fjord; ford; Fuhrer; gaberdine; import; important; importune; opportune; opportunity; passport; porch; pore (n.) "minute opening;" port (n.1) "harbor;" port (n.2) "gateway, entrance;" port (n.3) "bearing, mien;" port (v.) "to carry;" portable; portage; portal; portcullis; porter (n.1) "person who carries;" porter (n.2) "doorkeeper, janitor;" portfolio; portico; portiere; purport; practical; rapport; report; sport; support; transport; warfare; wayfarer; welfare.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit parayati "carries over;" Greek poros "journey, passage, way," peirein "to pierce, pass through, run through;" Latin portare "to carry," porta "gate, door," portus "port, harbor," originally "entrance, passage," peritus "experienced;" Avestan peretush "passage, ford, bridge;" Armenian hordan "go forward;" Old Welsh rit, Welsh rhyd "ford;" Old Church Slavonic pariti "to fly;" Old English faran "to go, journey," Old Norse fjörðr "inlet, estuary."

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