Etymologically
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treasure

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English tresor, borrowed from Old French tresor (“treasury, hoard, treasure”),[2][3][4] from Gallo-Roman *tresaurus, an unexplained alteration of Latin thesaurus (“treasury, treasure”),[3][5] from Greek θησαυρός (thēsaurós, “treasure, store, storehouse”) (see thesaurus),[2][6] of uncertain origin.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wealth or riches stored up: 1137, in the Peterborough Chronicle, in Barnhart, the mid-12th century in Etymonline.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Old English poets used goldhord and maðm for the idea.[3] In Middle English the word was sometimes spelled thresur in imitation of the classical form, and the modern spelling was established from the 16th century.[3][2] Anything valued is from about 1200, originally in spiritual senses, and a person held dear from about 1300.[3] The verb, to amass treasure and to regard as precious, is from the late 14th century.[3] Treasure trove first meant valuables of unknown ownership found hidden.[6]

Timeline

  • 1137 – stored wealth.[2]
  • c. 1200 – anything valued.[3][7]
  • c. 1300 – a person held dear.[3]
  • late 14th century – the verb.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A quantity of precious metals, gems or other valuable objects.
  2. A very valuable object.
  3. (informal) A much loved or highly valued person.

Verb

  1. To value highly; to cherish.
  2. To keep carefully as precious.

Word family

  • treasurable
  • treasureless
  • entreasure
  • treasure-trove
  • treasurer
  • treasury
  • treasure house
  • treasure hunt

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press