Where does “prize” come from?
Prize comes from Middle English prise, from Old French priser, from Latin pretio, from Latin pretium meaning "price" or "value," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰed- meaning "to seize."
prize (English): That which is taken from another; something...
Definitions
- That which is taken from another; something...
Ancestry of “prize”, step by step
prize traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English prise
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | prise | — |
| 2 | Old French | prise | seizure; taking; capture |
| 3 | Old French | prendre | to take |
| 4 | Latin | prendere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 5 | Latin | prehendere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 6 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | prai- | pre-, before |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Middle English prysen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | prysen | — |
| 2 | Old French | preisier | — |
| 3 | Old French | pris | price; esteem; reputation; past participle of... |
| 4 | Latin | pretium | worth, price, value, cost; pay, hire, wage,... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | pretjom | — |
via Proto-Slavic pręďa
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | pręďa | yarn |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | pręsti | to spin |
| 3 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | (s)prenˀd- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)prend- | to spin, to swift; to sprint |