Depreciate
/dɪˈpriːʃieɪt/noun
To lessen in value or esteem.
Did you know?Depreciate comes from Latin de- (“down, away”) + pretium (“price, value”), so its oldest sense is basically “to lower the price,” not a mystical curse—though it does share the same ancient root behind words tied to worth and reward.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to traffic, to buy, to exchange”
Latin
Latin
pretium
“price, value, reward”
Late Latin
Latin
depretiāre
“to lower the price of, depreciate”
Middle French
Old French
déprécier
“to depreciate, lessen in value”
16th Century
English
depreciate
“to lessen the price or value of”
Modern English
English
depreciate
“to diminish in value or esteem”