price [ME] The medieval word pris, which was from Old French, meant not only ‘price’ but also ‘prize’ and ‘praise’. Over time these three meanings split into three different words. Pris became price [ME], and the meaning ‘praise’ started to be spelled preise and then praise [ME]. Originally simply an alternative way of spelling price, prize too became a separate word. The Latin original of the French was pretiem ‘price’ which also lies behind appreciate [E16th], and the related appraise [LME] and apprize [LME], all with the basic sense of ‘set a price to’; depreciate [M17th]; and precious [ME].