Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To recognize the quality, significance, or magnitude of.
  • intransitive verb To be fully aware of or sensitive to; realize.
  • intransitive verb To be thankful or show gratitude for.
  • intransitive verb To admire greatly; value.
  • intransitive verb To raise in value or price, especially over time.
  • intransitive verb To increase in value or price, especially over time.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To value; set a price or value on; estimate the commercial worth of.
  • To esteem duly; place a sufficiently high estimate on; recognize the quality or worth of: as, his great ability was not appreciated.
  • To be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect; perceive the nature or effect of.
  • To raise in value; advance the exchange, quotation, or price of: opposed to depreciate.
  • Synonyms Value, Prize, Esteem, Estimate, Appreciate. Value and estimate commonly imply a comparison with a standard of commercial worth: as, to value a picture at so much; to estimate its value at so much. To prize is to value highly, generally for other than pecuniary reasons, and suggesting the notion of reluctance to lose. Thus, we prize a book for its contents or associations; we prize a friend for his affection for us. To esteem is sometimes simply to think: as, I esteem him a scoundrel; sometimes to value: as, I esteem it lightly; sometimes to have a high opinion of or set a high value on: as, I esteem him for his own sake; in its highest sense it implies moral approbation. Estimating is an act of computation or judgment, and wholly without feeling or moral approbation: as, to estimate the size of a room, the weight of a stone, the literary excellence of a book, the character of a person. (See esteem, n., for comparison of corresponding nouns.) Appreciate is to set a just value on; it implies the use of wise judgment or delicate perception: as, he appreciated the quality of the work. With this perception naturally goes a corresponding intellectual valuation and moral esteem: as, they knew how to appreciate his worth. Appreciate often implies also that the thing appreciated is likely to be overlooked or underestimated. It is commonly used of good things: as, I understood his wickedness; I realized or recognized his folly; I appreciated his virtue or wisdom. Compare such phrases as an appreciative audience, a few appreciative words, appreciation of merit.
  • To rise in value; become of more value: as, public securities appreciated when the debt was funded.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To rise in value. [See note under rise, v. i.]
  • transitive verb To set a price or value on; to estimate justly; to value.
  • transitive verb U.S. To raise the value of; to increase the market price of; -- opposed to depreciate.
  • transitive verb To be sensible of; to distinguish.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive to be grateful or thankful for.
  • verb transitive to view as valuable.
  • verb transitive to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect.
  • verb transitive to increase in value.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb be fully aware of; realize fully
  • verb increase the value of
  • verb gain in value
  • verb hold dear
  • verb recognize with gratitude; be grateful for

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin appretiāre, appretiāt-, to appraise; see appraise.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Originated 1645–55 from Medieval Latin appreciatus ("valued or appraised"), from Late Latin appretiatus ("appraised"), from ap- (form of ad- ("towards")) + preti(um) ("price") (English precious) + -atus.

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