Price, Prize and Praise All Started as One Word
A price is what something costs. It shares a single Latin ancestor with prize, praise and appreciate.
A price is the amount of money for which something is sold. *Price*, *prize* and *praise* are triplets: all three come from Latin *pretium*, value or worth, and split apart in Old French before English borrowed each separately. The logic still holds — to praise something is to declare its worth, a prize is a thing of worth awarded, and a price is worth expressed in money. *Appreciate* and *precious* belong to the same family.
- The cost of something. *A fair price.*
- To set a cost. *Priced at ten pounds.*
- Prize — a reward. *A prize.*
- Praise — to declare worth. *High praise.*
- Latin — *pretium*, worth. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | price | The price. |
| Plural | prices | Prices. |
| Verb | price | Price it. |
| Adjective | priceless | Priceless. |
| Latin | pretium | Worth. |
- The price has gone up again.Cost.
- It is priceless to her.Beyond price.
- Prize and praise share the root.Etymology.
The pretium family
- Price — worth stated in money
- Prize — a thing of worth awarded
- Praise — to declare something's worth
- Precious — of great worth
- Appreciate — to recognise the worth of, or to rise in value
Old French *pris*, from Latin *pretium*, price, value or reward.
Are price, prize and praise related?
Yes, all three descend from Latin pretium, worth, splitting in Old French before English borrowed them separately.
Why does priceless mean extremely valuable?
Because no price could be set on it, so the value is beyond measurement rather than absent.