Value

How to spell value

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce value

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does value mean?

1. nounThe worth, importance, or usefulness of something.
2. verbTo regard something as important, or to estimate the worth of something.

Value in a sentence

• noun

  The market value of the house had risen sharply.

• verb

  Employers value honesty and reliability above almost everything.

• noun

  Good training adds real value to any team.

• verb

  An expert will value the jewellery before the auction.

Where does value come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word value comes from the Latin verb valere, which meant 'to be strong' and, by extension, 'to be worth'. From that verb the feminine past participle valuta gave rise to the Old French value, literally 'worth' or 'that which is worth something', which English adopted in the 1300s. The original sense of strength still survives in close relatives such as 'valiant' and 'valour', which describe a different kind of being strong, and in 'convalesce', which means to grow strong again. The financial and moral senses, the worth of a thing and the worth we place on principles, both grew naturally out of this single idea of what something is worth. For spelling, it helps to remember the silent final letters: the word keeps the French -ue ending rather than stopping at 'val'.

How the word is built

• val- (from Latin valere: to be worth, be strong)
• -ue (noun ending)