English
value
Etymology

From Middle English valew, value, from Old French value, feminine past participle of valoir, from Latin valeō, from itc-pro *walēō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁-.

Pronunciation Noun

value

  1. The quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable.
    The Shakespearean Shylock is of dubious value in the modern world.
    Synonyms: worth, Thesaurus:value
  2. (uncountable) The degree of importance given to something.
    The value of my children's happiness is second only to that of my wife.
  3. That which is valued or highly esteemed, such as one's morals, morality, or belief system.
    He does not share his parents' values.
    family values
  4. The amount (of money or goods or services) that is considered to be a fair equivalent for something else.
    • 1825, John Ramsay McCulloch, Principles of Political Economy:
      An article may be possessed of the highest degree of utility, or power to minister to our wants and enjoyments, and may be universally made use of, without possessing exchangeable value.
    • 1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC ↗:
      His design was not to pay him the value of his pictures, because they were above any price.
  5. (music) The relative duration of a musical note.
    The value of a crotchet is twice that of a quaver.
  6. (arts) The relative darkness or lightness of a color in (a specific area of) a painting etc.
    • 2006, Edith Anderson Feisner, Colour: How to Use Colour in Art and Design:
      When pigments of equal value are mixed together, the resulting color will be a darker value. This is the result of subtraction.
    • 2010, Rose Edin, Dee Jepsen, Color Harmonies: Paint Watercolors Filled with Light:
      Shadows and light move very quickly when you are painting on location. Use Cobalt Blue to quickly establish the painting's values.
  7. (mathematics, physics) Any definite numerical quantity or other mathematical object, determined by being measured, computed, or otherwise defined.
    The exact value of pi cannot be represented in decimal notation.
  8. Precise meaning; import.
    the value of a word; the value of a legal instrument
    • 1784-1810, William Mitford, The History of Greece:
      Yet that learned and diligent annotator has , in a following note , shown his sense of the value of a passage of Livy , marking , in a few words , most strongly the desolation of Italy under the Roman republic
  9. (in the plural) The valuable ingredients to be obtained by treating a mass or compound; specifically, the precious metals contained in rock, gravel, etc.
    The vein carries good values.
    the values on the hanging walls
  10. (obsolete) Esteem; regard.
    • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Preface”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:
      The French have a high value for them ; and I confess they are often what they call delicate
    • 1724, [Gilbert] Burnet, edited by [Gilbert Burnet Jr.], Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] Thomas Ward […], →OCLC ↗:
      My relation to the person was so near, and my value for him so great.
  11. (obsolete) Valour.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:
      And him with equall valew countervayld
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Verb

value (values, present participle valuing; simple past and past participle valued)

  1. To estimate the value of; judge the worth of something.
    I will have the family jewels valued by a professional.
  2. To fix or determine the value of; assign a value to, as of jewelry or art work.
  3. To regard highly; think much of; place importance upon.
    Gold was valued highly among the Romans.
  4. To hold dear.
    I value these old photographs.
Synonyms Antonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations

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