Where does “precious” come from?
precious (Middle English) comes from Old French precios, from Latin pretiōsus, from Latin pretium, from Proto-Italic pretjom, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “precious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | precios | valuable, costly, precious, beloved, also... |
| 2 | Latin | pretiōsus | valuable, precious |
| 3 | Latin | pretium | worth, price, value, cost; pay, hire, wage,... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | pretjom | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |