Unworthies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals deemed unworthy or lacking merit in some capacity
2. being associated with or referring to those considered inferior or lacking value
3. a collective term for people regarded as unworthy of respect or esteem

Etymology: "Unworthies" is the plural of "unworthy" used as a noun, meaning people regarded as not deserving respect or esteem. The noun is formed from the adjective "unworthy," which combines the prefix "un-," meaning "not," with "worthy," so the whole word means "not worthy." The base word "worthy" goes back to Old English "wierthig," meaning having value or merit, and it is a relative of "worth." The "un-" prefix has been attached to English adjectives since Old English times, so "unworthy" came into the language through Middle English, when it was already a common descriptive term. The noun use is the part of the story that stands out. English often turns adjectives describing a quality into plural nouns for groups of people who have it, as with "the wicked" or "the rich," and "unworthies" follows that pattern. Its plural form is a fairly rare, collective usage, so it reads as a deliberate way of grouping people together under one label.