Etymologically
Log in

pretiosus

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [prɛ.tiˈoː.sʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [pret.t͡siˈɔː.s̬us][1]

Forms

pretiōsus (feminine pretiōsa, neuter pretiōsum, comparative pretiōsior, superlative pretiōsissimus, adverb pretiōsē); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from pretium “price, value” with the suffix -ōsus.[2][1][3] Inscriptions and the Old Latin Bible spell it ⟨prae-⟩.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of what is expensive.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant costly, worth much money, precious, as Cicero's rēs pretiōsae “valuables” and equus pretiōsus “a valuable horse”.[2][5] In Ovid it was used of circumstances involving great cost, and in Horace of one who pays a high price.[2] From Ovid it meant valuable in a non-monetary sense, highly esteemed, and in Gaius of an argument valid.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant precious, of great price.[6] It survives in Italian prezioso, French précieux and Spanish precioso, and through Old French precios it gave English precious in the mid-13th century.[1][7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the expensive.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of rēs pretiōsae.[5][4]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of what is esteemed.[2][4]
  • mid-13th century – English precious is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Costly, expensive, precious.[2]
  2. Involving great cost; paying a high price.[2]
  3. Valuable, highly esteemed.[2]
  4. Of an argument, valid.[2]

Word family

  • pretiōsitās
  • pretiōsē

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com