Where does “invaluable” come from?
Invaluable comes from English value, from Latin valēre meaning "to be strong," prefixed with Latin in- (from Proto-Indo-European ne, "not") to create the negation.
invaluable (English): Of great value; costly, precious, priceless; Very...
Definitions
- Of great value; costly, precious, priceless; Very...
Ancestry of “invaluable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | valuable | Having a great value; Estimable; deserving... |
| 2 | English | value | The quality that renders something desirable or... |
| 3 | Middle English | valew | — |
| 4 | Old French | value | — |
| 5 | Old French | valoir | to have value; to be worth |
| 6 | Latin | valeō | to have strength, influence, power; to avail |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | walēō | to be strong |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wl̥h₁éh₁yeti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂welh₁- | to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool |