valuable

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈvæl.jə.bəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English value + -able.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of material or monetary value: 1589 in the OED, the 1580s in Etymonline;^[4][2] about 1576 in MWU.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Of great use or importance is from 1647, the 1640s in Etymonline.^[4][2] Capable of having its value estimated is from 1627 (the 1620s in Etymonline), used by Locke, but is now obsolete.^[4][2] The noun, a valuable thing, is by 1775, often in the plural valuables.^[2][3] In law, a valuable consideration is something of value given in a contract (1638).^[4]

Timeline

• 1589 – of monetary value.^[4]
• 1627 – able to be valued.^[4]
• 1638 – valuable consideration.^[4]
• 1647 – of great use.^[4]
• 1775 – noun, a valuable thing.^[2][3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Worth a lot of money.
2. Very useful or important: valuable advice.

Noun

1. (usually valuables) Small things that are worth a lot of money, such as jewellery.

Word family

• valuableness
• valuably
• invaluable
• nonvaluable
• overvaluable
• unvaluable
• valuable consideration

Related words

• value
• valid

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press