Precious
/ˈprɛʃ.əs/noun
Of great value, highly prized, or dearly loved.
Did you know?English *precious* comes through Old French from Latin *pretium*, “price” or “value,” the same root behind several words about worth, reward, and exchange.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“A proposed ancestral root connected to buying, selling, and value in early scholarship, but the exact prehistory is uncertain.”
Latin
Latin
pretium
“Price, value, reward, or worth.”
Late Latin
Latin
pretiosus
“Valuable, costly, precious.”
Old French
Old French
precius / precious
“Valuable, esteemed, costly.”
Middle English
English
precious
“Of great worth; dear; highly esteemed.”
Modern English
English
precious
“Highly valued, cherished, or excessively delicate.”
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