prize
/ˈpɹaɪ̯z/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms prizes prizing prized
- noun That which is taken from another; something captured; a thing seized by force, stratagem, or superior power.
- noun (military, nautical) Anything captured by a belligerent using the rights of war; especially, property captured at sea in virtue of the rights of war, as a vessel.
- noun An honour or reward striven for in a competitive contest; anything offered to be competed for, or as an inducement to, or reward of, effort.
- noun That which may be won by chance, as in a lottery.
- noun Anything worth striving for; a valuable possession held or in prospect.
- noun (obsolete) A contest for a reward; competition.
- noun A lever; a pry; also, the hold of a lever.
- verb To consider highly valuable; to esteem.
- verb (obsolete) To set or estimate the value of; to appraise; to price; to rate.
- verb To move with a lever; to force up or open; to prise or pry.
- verb (obsolete) To compete in a prizefight.
- adjective Having won a prize; award-winning. “a prize vegetable”
- adjective First-rate; exceptional. “He was a prize fool.”
Synonyms
prise honor regard respect esteem idolize lay store by look up to hallow put store by put store in rate revere set store by value venerate worthy evaluate appraise apprise award loot booty pillage plunder swag dirty money trophy treasure appreciate
Etymology
From Middle English prise, from Old French prise (“a taking, capture, a seizure, a thing seized, a prize, booty, also hold, purchase”), past participle of prendre (“to take, to capture”), from Latin prēndere (“to take, seize”); see prehend. Compare prison, apprise, comprise, enterprise, purprise, reprisal, surprise, etc. Doublet of prise.
From Middle English prysen, borrowed from Old French preisier (“to set a price or value on, esteem, value”), from pris (“price”), from Latin pretium (“price, value”), whence price; see also praise, a doublet. Compare appraise, apprize.
Alternative forms.
Webster’s 1913
- noun That which is taken from another; something captured; a thing seized by force, stratagem, or superior power.
- noun Hence, specifically; (a) (Law) Anything captured by a belligerent using the rights of war; esp., property captured at sea in virtue of the rights of war, as a vessel. Kent. Brande & C. (b) An honor or reward striven for in a competitive contest; anything offered to be competed for, or as an inducement to, or reward of, effort.
- verb To move with a lever; to force up or open; to pry. [Written also prise.]
- verb To set or estimate the value of; to appraise; to price; to rate.
Etymology [F. prise a seizing, hold, grasp, fr. pris, p. p. of prendre to take, L. prendere, prehendere; in some senses, as 2 (b), either from, or influenced by, F. prix price. See Prison, Prehensile, and cf. Pry, and also Price.]
Etymology [F. priser, OF. prisier, preisier, fr. L. pretiare, fr. pretium worth, value, price. See Price, and cf. Praise.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “prize”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details