appreciate
Etymology

Originated 1645–55 from Medieval Latin appreciatus, from Late Latin appretiatus, from ap- (form of ad- ("towards")) + Latin pretium (English precious) + -atus.

Cognate to French apprécier. Latin root also origin of English appraise, which has various Romance cognates.

Pronunciation
  • IPA: /əˈpɹiː.ʃi.eɪt/, /əˈpɹiː.si.eɪt/, /əˈpɹɪʃ.i.eɪt/
Verb

appreciate (appreciates, present participle appreciating; simple past and past participle appreciated)

  1. (transitive) To be grateful or thankful for.
    Synonyms: esteem
    I appreciate your efforts.
    We sincerely appreciate your help.
    Any aid will be warmly appreciated.
  2. (transitive) To view as valuable.
    Synonyms: esteem
    You must learn to appreciate time.
  3. (transitive) To be fully conscious of; understand; be aware of; detect.
    Synonyms: grasp
    It is essential for the reader to appreciate how important this argument is.
    I appreciate that what I'm asking you to do is very difficult.
    • 1883, John Lubbock, On the Senses, Instincts and Intelligence of Animals, With Special Reference to Insects:
      to test the power of bees to appreciate colour
  4. (intransitive, transitive) To increase in value.
    Antonyms: depreciate
    The value of his portfolio appreciated by 80% over eight years.
    • 1809, David Ramsay, History of South Carolina:
      lest a sudden peace should appreciate the money
    • 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC ↗, page 234 ↗:
      Laughter may be generally classed under three heads,—forced, silly, or vulgar; but hers is the most sweet, real, spirituelle sound possible—it so appreciates the wit, which it increases as it catches—it speaks of spirits so fresh, so youthful!
Related terms Translations
  • French: être reconnaissant de
  • German: zu schätzen wissen, würdigen
  • Italian: apprezzare, essere riconoscente
  • Portuguese: apreciar, ser grato, ser grata, ficar agradecido, ficar agradecida
  • Russian: быть признательным
  • Spanish: agradecer, apreciar
Translations Translations Translations


This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.002
Offline English dictionary