[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

welfare \wel"fare`\, n. well + fare to go, to proceed, to
   happen.
   well-doing or well-being in any respect; the enjoyment of
   health and the common blessings of life; exemption from any
   evil or calamity; prosperity; happiness.
   1913 webster

         how to study for the people's welfare.   --shak.
   1913 webster

         in whose deep eyes
         men read the welfare of the times to come. --emerson.
   1913 webster

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

welfare
     n 1: governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in
          need syn: social welfare
     2: something that aids or promotes well-being; "for the common
        good" syn: benefit
     3: a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous;
        "the town was finally on the upbeat after our recent
        troubles" syn: wellbeing, well-being, upbeat, eudaemonia,
         eudaimonia ant: ill-being
see also:
social welfare benefit wellbeing well-being upbeat eudaemonia 
eudaimonia ill-being 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

117 moby thesaurus words for "welfare":
   adc, easy street, medicaid, medicare, advantage, affluence, aid,
   alimony, allotment, allowance, almsgiving, altruistic, annuity,
   assistance, avail, bed of roses, behalf, behoof, beneficent,
   benefit, benevolent, benison, bighearted, blessing, boon, bounty,
   charitable, child welfare, clover, comfort, commonweal,
   contentment, cradle-to-grave security, depletion allowance, dole,
   ease, easy circumstances, eleemosynary, felicity, fellowship,
   financial assistance, fleshpots, fortune, freehearted, gain,
   generous, good, gracious life, gracious living, grant,
   grant-in-aid, greathearted, guaranteed annual income,
   guaranteed income, happiness, health insurance, help, humanitarian,
   interest, lap of luxury, largehearted, life of ease,
   loaves and fishes, luck, luxury, old-age assistance,
   old-age insurance, pecuniary aid, pension, philanthropic,
   price support, profit, prosperity, prosperousness,
   public assistance, public welfare, relief, retirement benefits,
   satisfaction, scholarship, security, sickness insurance,
   social insurance, social security, social service, social welfare,
   social work, socialized medicine, state medicine, stipend,
   subsidization, subsidy, subvention, success, support, tax benefit,
   the affluent life, the good life, thriving condition,
   unemployment compensation, unemployment insurance, upward mobility,
   velvet, weal, wealth, welfare aid, welfare capitalism,
   welfare payments, welfare state, welfare statism, welfare statist,
   welfare work, welfarism, welfarist, well-being,
   womb-to-tomb security, world of good

Welfare >> W Words
Welfare, definition of term: Welfare
welfare_pag1.html

Welfare Worker >> W Words
Welfare Worker, definition of term: Welfare Worker
welfare+worker_pag1.html

Welfare State >> W Words
Welfare State, definition of term: Welfare State
welfare+state_pag1.html

Social Welfare >> S Words
Social Welfare, definition of term: Social Welfare
social+welfare_pag1.html