prize
/praɪz/
noun
Origin
Old French
pris — price, value, reward, or booty
Overview
Meaning Now
- A thing given as a reward to the winner of a competition or in recognition of outstanding performance.
- Something worth striving for or attaining; a valuable acquisition.
Literal older meaning
Something taken or seized.
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
pris
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word prize shares a common ancestor with the word 'price'. Historically, in the context of naval warfare, a 'prize' was a ship or property captured at sea during wartime, derived from the French sense of 'pris' (taken). Over time, the meaning evolved to cover any reward or valuable object won in a contest.
Evolution
- Latin
pretium
“price, value, worth”
- Old French
pris
“prize, booty, capture”
developed from the sense of value or ransom
- Middle English
pris
“reward, prize”
Connections
Word parts
prize
root
reward or captured item
Related across languages
French
prix
price or prize
Spanish
precio
price
Related words
Explore next
Related to prize
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.