Etymologically
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appretio

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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