Welfare is how well people are doing — whether they are healthy, safe and looked after. A charity that inspects farms is checking animal welfare: enough space, clean water, no pain.
The second sense is money and services from the state for people who need them: welfare payments, the welfare state, child welfare services. In American English, welfare on its own means benefits, and saying somebody is on welfare carries a sting; British English says benefits and keeps welfare for the wider idea. Wellbeing is the soft synonym, about how a person feels; welfare covers the practical side — food, shelter, safety, money. You meet it in official language above all: staff welfare, the welfare of the child, a welfare officer. Note the shape too — welfare is uncountable, so there is no a welfare and no welfares.
1nounwelfareThe health, comfort and safety of a person or animal.
“The inspector's only concern is the welfare of the animals on the farm.”
synonyms: wellbeing
2nounmoneyMoney and support given by the state to people with little income.
“The family lived on welfare for two years after the factory closed.”
3nounorganisedOrganised support provided by an employer, school or authority.
“She works in student welfare at the university.”
Also accepted in games: wellbeing, well-being
Welfare began as two words: Middle English welefare, from the Old English phrase wel faran, to fare well, to get along, to prosper. For centuries it meant exactly that — a person doing all right. The government sense is young: 1904 for social concern about children and the unemployed, 1918 for organised provision for a group.
Middle English
welefare
English, today
welfare
Built from
From Middle English welefare, probably from the Old English - phrase wel faran (“to fare well, get along successfully, prosper”) (cognate with Middle Dutch welvare (“welfare”), Middle Low German wolvare (“welfare”), Middle High German wolvar, wolfar (“welfare”)). Equivalent to well + fare. Compare also West Frisian wolfeart, Dutch welvaart, German Wohlfahrt, Old Norse velferð (whence Swedish välfärd (“welfare”)). The first recorded use in the sense of "social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc." is from 1904 and in the sense of "organized effort to provide for maintenance of members of a group" from 1918.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Big Ideas, Politics & Society