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appretio

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word appretio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 160–220 AD, Tertullian
Ultimate origin
Latin pretium
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin pretium
French prix
Italian prezzo
Latin appretio
Italian apprezzare
English appreciate
French apprécier

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [apˈprɛ.ti.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [apˈprɛt.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

appretiō (present infinitive appretiāre, perfect active appretiāvī, supine appretiātum); first conjugation[1] Also spelled adpretiō.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin ad- (“to”) + pretium (“price, value”).[3][2][1] Through Old French aprisier it is the source of English appraise, and its participle that of appreciate.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tertullian uses it for “value, set a price on”,[2][5] and the Old Latin Bible (Itala) has adpretiābit illum sacerdōs, “the priest shall value him”, where the Vulgate has aestimāverit.[3]

Semantic evolution

It belongs to Church Latin.[2][6] Besides “value, appraise” it came to mean “buy”: the Vulgate's pretium adpretiātī in Matthew is “the price of him who was valued”.[2][1] Tertullian also uses it for “appropriate to oneself”.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it of setting a value on something.[2][5]
  • after 220 AD – The Itala uses it in Leviticus for the priest's valuation.[3][5]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses pretium adpretiātī in Matthew 27:9.[2][5]
  • c. 1400 – Through Old French, English borrows appraise.[4]
  • 1650s – English forms appreciate from its participle.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (Late Latin) To value, set a price on, appraise.[2][1][6]
  2. (Late Latin) To buy, purchase.[2][1]
  3. (Late Latin) To take for oneself, appropriate.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson

Borrowed into

Descendants

Cite this entry

“Appretio.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/appretio. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·