Welfare Means Faring Well
Welfare is wellbeing, and also state support. The two senses split apart, and in America the second one carries a charge the first does not.
Welfare is wellbeing: the state of faring well. It also names government assistance, and there the word travels differently on each side of the Atlantic. In Britain the welfare state is a broadly neutral term covering health, pensions and benefits; in America *welfare* narrowed to cash assistance for the poor and picked up a political charge.
- Wellbeing. *Animal welfare.*
- State assistance. *Welfare payments.*
- Welfare state — the system of public provision. *Building the welfare state.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | welfare | Child welfare. |
| Compound | welfare state | The post-war welfare state. |
| Related | wellbeing | Mental wellbeing. |
| Related | benefit | Benefit claims. |
| Related | fare | How did you fare? |
How it is used in a sentence
- The charity monitors animal welfare.Wellbeing sense.
- The welfare state was built after 1945.British usage.
- He asked after her welfare.A slightly formal way of asking how she is.
Related words from *fare*
- Farewell — literally may you travel well
- Fare — how you get on, or the cost of travel
- Wayfarer — one who travels
- Seafarer — one who travels by sea
- Thoroughfare — a route you can travel through
From the Middle English phrase *wel faren*, to fare well, from Old English *faran*, to travel or get on — the same verb behind *farewell* and *thoroughfare*.
Welfare or wellbeing?
Wellbeing is now the usual word for how someone feels and functions. Welfare leans towards provision and protection.
Are fare and farewell related?
Yes. Farewell is an instruction: fare well, travel well. The travel cost sense of fare comes from the same verb.