Valued

How to spell valued

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce valued

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does valued mean?

1. adjectiveRegarded as important, useful, or cherished.
2. verbPast tense of value: estimated the worth of something, or held it in esteem.

Valued in a sentence

• adjective

  Every valued customer received a discount on their next order.

• verb

  The surveyor valued the house at well above the asking price.

• adjective

  She is a deeply valued member of the research team.

• verb

  She always valued his opinion before making a final decision.

Where does valued come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb valere, which literally meant 'to be strong' or 'to be worth', the same root that gives us 'valid' and 'valiant'. In Old French valere developed into valoir, and its feminine past participle 'value' came to mean 'worth' or 'the price something is reckoned at'. English borrowed the noun 'value' in the 1300s and soon used it as a verb meaning 'to estimate the worth of' or 'to hold in esteem'. The form 'valued' is simply that verb with the regular -ed ending, serving both as a past tense and as an adjective for something cherished. The spelling keeps the final -e of 'value' before -ed, so the trap is remembering it is 'valued' and not 'valyoud' or 'vallued'.

How the word is built

• valu- (worth, from value)
• -ed (past tense / past participle suffix)