English
price
Price comes from Middle English price, from Old French pris, from Latin pretium ‘worth, price’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘in front’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘in front’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr-é-ti ~ *pr-ó-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pretjomreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpretium‘worth’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400pris
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500price‘price’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590price
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-‘in front’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*pr-é-ti ~ *pr-ó-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pretjomreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpretium‘worth’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400pris
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500price‘price’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590price
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book I, Canto IX: “Thou damned wight, / The author of this fact,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘in front’
first, before, support, far, per, report, further, fear, opportunity, press, port, private, afford, appreciate, pre, ford, practice, forth, primary, pregnant, prior, prime, parade, par, practical, interpretation, ferry, pirate, fare, porch, pardon, privilege, primitive, afar, interpreter, pore, petra, disparate, firth, proton, 152 more
through Proto-Italic *pretjom
through Latin pretium ‘worth, price, money spent, wages, reward’
precious, praise, depreciation, 1 more
through Old French pris
Today it means
noun The cost required to gain possession of something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *per- / price