valuable
/ˈvæl.ju.ə.bəl/
adjective
Origin
Latin
valere — to be strong, be worth
Overview
Meaning Now
- Worth a great deal of money.
- Highly useful, important, or cherished.
Literal older meaning
able to be valued
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
valuable
Earliest period
15th century
Journey
The term derives from the Latin 'valere', which connected physical strength to worth. This conceptual link remains central to the word, where something 'valuable' possesses the 'strength' to endure or provide utility.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*wal-
“to be strong”
- Latin
valere
“to be strong, be of value”
- Old French
valoir
“to be worth”
- Middle English
valuable
“of great price”
adopted via French suffixation
Connections
Word parts
val-
root
strength or worth
-u-
other
linking vowel
-able
suffix
capable of
Related across languages
French
valable
valid/usable
Spanish
valioso
valuable
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Related to valuable
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.