praise
/preɪz/
noun
Origin
Latin
pretium — price, value, reward
Overview
Meaning Now
- The expression of approval or admiration for someone or something.
- Words or actions that express respect, honor, or worship, particularly in a religious context.
Literal older meaning
the act of assessing value or price
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
preis
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The evolution of the word 'praise' is tied to the concept of economic valuation. To 'praise' originally meant to assign a price or value to something. Over time, this shifted from determining market worth to determining moral or personal merit.
Evolution
- Latin
pretium
“price, worth”
- Vulgar Latin
pretiāre
“to prize, to value”
- Old French
preiser
“to value, to praise”
- Middle English
preisen
“to estimate the value of, to commend”
- Modern English
praise
“to express approval or admiration”
Connections
Word parts
praise
root
to hold in high value
Related across languages
French
priser
to value
Italian
prezzare
to price/value
Spanish
apreciar
to appreciate
Related words
Explore next
Related to praise
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.