Valuation

How to spell valuation

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce valuation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does valuation mean?

1. nounAn estimate or formal assessment of how much something is worth.

Valuation in a sentence

• The estate agent arranged a valuation of the house before the sale.

• The company's valuation doubled after the new investment.

Where does valuation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb valere, which literally meant 'to be strong' and then 'to be worth'. From the related noun stem English ultimately gained 'value', borrowed through Old French value, the feminine past participle of valoir 'to be worth'. 'Valuation' itself was formed by attaching the noun suffix -ation, producing a word for the act or result of assigning worth; it appears in English from the late 1500s, particularly in legal and commercial settings. The same valere root underlies a cluster of familiar relatives such as 'valid', 'evaluate', 'valiant' and even 'convalesce', all turning on the idea of strength or worth. For spelling, it helps to remember that the base word 'value' keeps its silent final 'e' until the suffix replaces it: value plus -ation gives valuation, with the 'ua' sequence intact and no extra letters.

How the word is built

• valu- (from Latin valere: to be worth)
• -ation (noun of action/result)