• (RP, America) IPA: /əˈpɹaɪz/

Borrowed from French appris, apprise, the past participle form of apprendre, from Middle French apprendre, aprendre, from Old French aprendre, aprandre, from Latin apprēndere, a variant of apprehendere, adprehendere, the present active infinitives of apprehendō, adprehendō, from ad- + prehendō (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed-).

apprise (apprises, present participle apprising; simple past and past participle apprised) (transitive, reflexive)

1. To make (someone or oneself) aware of some information; to inform, to notify.

   Synonyms: acquaint, keep (someone) abreast of, keep someone posted, Thesaurus:inform

   The ears apprise the brain of sound.

   • 1712 November 4 (Gregorian calendar), [Richard Steele], “FRIDAY, October 24, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 518; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC ↗, page 12 ↗:

     As you have considered human nature in all its lights, you must be extremely well apprised, that there is a very close correspondence between the outward and the inward man; […]

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • a. 1720 (date written), Joseph Addison, “Section VI. Excellency of the Christian Institution.”, in The Evidences of the Christian Religion, […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson […], published 1730, →OCLC ↗, subsection I, pages 46–47 ↗:

     Thus far vve ſee hovv the learned Pagans might apprize themſelves from oral information of the particulars of our Saviour's hiſtory.

   • 1741, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XXX”, in Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded. […], 3rd edition, volume I, London: […] C[harles] Rivington, […]; and J. Osborn, […], →OCLC ↗, page 117 ↗:

     As ſhe is a mighty Letter-vvriter, I hope ſhe has had the Duty to apprize you of her Intrigue vvith the young Clergyman; […]

   • a. 1798 (date written), Horace Walpole, chapter XVII, in Denis Le Marchant, editor, Memoirs of the Reign of King George the Third. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley […], published 1845, →OCLC ↗, page 258 ↗:

     […] Fox, he said, he knew would not have engaged in the management of the Parliament, had he been apprized that he (Bute) intended to retire, and it had been necessary to the King's affairs that Fox should carry them through the session.

   • 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter VII, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC ↗, page 115 ↗:

     He led the way to the adjoining cell, which, as the reader is apprised, was occupied by Gurth the swine-herd.— […]

     Due to an error, there are two chapters numbered VII; this is the second one.

   • 1849, Herman Melville, “My Lord Shark and His Pages”, in Mardi: And a Voyage Thither. […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, publishers, […], →OCLC ↗, page 69 ↗:

     But when it is considered, that by a reciprocal understanding, the Pilot fish seem to act as scouts to the shark, warning him of danger, and apprising him of the vicinity of prey; and moreover, in case of his being killed, evincing their anguish by certain agitations, otherwise inexplicable; the whole thing becomes a mystery unfathomable.

   • 1851 November 13, Herman Melville, “Midnight Aloft—Thunder and Lightning”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC ↗, [https://archive.org/details/mobydickorwhale01melv/page/566–567/mode/1up pages 566–567]:

     In compliance with the standing order of his commander—to report immediately, and at any one of the twenty-four hours, any decided change in the affairs of the deck,—Starbuck had no sooner trimmed the yards to the breeze—however reluctantly and gloomily,—than he mechanically went below to apprise Captain Ahab of the circumstance.

   • 1869, William Ewart Gladstone, “Miscellaneous”, in Juventus Mundi: The Gods and Men of the Heroic Age, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC ↗, section I (The Idea of Beauty in Homer), page 519 ↗:

     Again, Telemachos apprises Menelaos that Ithaca is a goat-feeding island, without meadows, and more epēratos than a horse-feeding country.

2. (rare) To formally impart (information) to someone; to advise, to notify.
   • 1817 October 22, Lord Byron, “Letter CCC. To Mr. Murray.”, in Thomas Moore, editor, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: With Notices of His Life, […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], published 1830, →OCLC ↗, page 151 ↗:

     P.S. Morlands have not yet written to my bankers apprizing the payment of your balances; pray desire them to do so.

• German: benachrichtigen, in Kenntnis setzen
• Portuguese: avisar, informar, notificar
• Russian: оповеща́ть
• Spanish: avisar, informar

From Middle English aprisen, apprisen, and then either:

• from Old French apriser, aprisier, from à + prisier, preisier (from Latin pretiāre, the present active infinitive of pretiō, from pretium + -ō); or
• from Old French à pris (pris is derived from Latin pretium).

apprise (apprises, present participle apprising; simple past and past participle apprised) (transitive, archaic)

1. Synonym of appraise
   • 1869, Robert Browning, “VIII. Dominus Hyacinthus de Archangelis.”, in The Ring and the Book. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder and Co., →OCLC ↗, page 121 ↗, lines 667–671:

     [W]hosoever, at the proper worth, / Apprises worldly honour and repute, / Esteems it nobler to die honoured man / Beneath Mannaia, than live centuries / Disgraced in the eye o' the world.

2. (specifically, Scots law) To put a price on (something) for the purpose of sale; to appraise.

• apprisement, apprizement (obsolete)