Appreciate

Appreciate
Appreciate Ap*pre"ci*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Appreciated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Appreciating}.] [L. appretiatus, p. p. of appretiare to value at a price, appraise; ad + pretiare to prize, pretium price. Cf. {Appraise}.] 1. To set a price or value on; to estimate justly; to value. [1913 Webster]

To appreciate the motives of their enemies. --Gibbon. [1913 Webster]

3. To raise the value of; to increase the market price of; -- opposed to {depreciate}. [U.S.] [1913 Webster]

Lest a sudden peace should appreciate the money. --Ramsay. [1913 Webster]

4. To be sensible of; to distinguish. [1913 Webster]

To test the power of bees to appreciate color. --Lubbock. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To {Appreciate}, {Estimate}, {Esteem}.

Usage: Estimate is an act of judgment; esteem is an act of valuing or prizing, and when applied to individuals, denotes a sentiment of moral approbation. See {Estimate}. Appreciate lies between the two. As compared with estimate, it supposes a union of sensibility with judgment, producing a nice and delicate perception. As compared with esteem, it denotes a valuation of things according to their appropriate and distinctive excellence, and not simply their moral worth. Thus, with reference to the former of these (delicate perception), an able writer says. ``Women have a truer appreciation of character than men;'' and another remarks, ``It is difficult to appreciate the true force and distinctive sense of terms which we are every day using.'' So, also, we speak of the difference between two things, as sometimes hardly appreciable. With reference to the latter of these (that of valuation as the result of a nice perception), we say, ``It requires a peculiar cast of character to appreciate the poetry of Wordsworth;'' ``He who has no delicacy himself, can not appreciate it in others;'' ``The thought of death is salutary, because it leads us to appreciate worldly things aright.'' Appreciate is much used in cases where something is in danger of being overlooked or undervalued; as when we speak of appreciating the difficulties of a subject, or the risk of an undertaking. So Lord Plunket, referring to an ``ominous silence'' which prevailed among the Irish peasantry, says, ``If you knew how to appreciate that silence, it is more formidable than the most clamorous opposition.'' In like manner, a person who asks some favor of another is apt to say, ``I trust you will appreciate my motives in this request.'' Here we have the key to a very frequent use of the word. It is hardly necessary to say that appreciate looks on the favorable side of things. we never speak of appreciating a man's faults, but his merits. This idea of regarding things favorably appears more fully in the word appreciative; as when we speak of an appreciative audience, or an appreciative review, meaning one that manifests a quick perception and a ready valuation of excellence. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • appreciate — ap·pre·ci·ate /ə prē shē ˌāt, pri , sē / vb at·ed, at·ing vt 1: to judge or understand the significance of incapable of appreciating the difference between right and wrong B. N. Cardozo 2: to raise the market value of compa …   Law dictionary

  • appreciate — 1 comprehend, *understand Analogous words: appraise, value, rate, *estimate, evaluate: *judge, adjudge: *apprehend, comprehend Antonyms: depreciate Contrasted words: disparage, derogate, detract, belittle, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • appreciate — ap‧pre‧ci‧ate [əˈpriːʆieɪt] verb [intransitive] 1. to increase in value: • Their art collection has appreciated substantially, almost doubling in value. 2. FINANCE when a currency appreciates, it increases in value compared to other currencies:… …   Financial and business terms

  • appreciate — [v1] be grateful, thankful acknowledge, be appreciative, be indebted, be obliged, enjoy, flip over*, freak out on*, get high on*, give thanks, groove on*, welcome; concepts 12,32,76 Ant. be critical, criticize, disparage, disregard, neglect,… …   New thesaurus

  • appreciate — Its normal meaning ‘to acknowledge with gratitude’, especially in business correspondence (e.g. I appreciate everything that you have done to help us) and to form polite requests (e.g. It would be appreciated if you would reply by return of post) …   Modern English usage

  • appreciate — [ə prē′shē āt΄] vt. appreciated, appreciating [< LL(Ec) appretiatus, pp. of appretiare, APPRAISE] 1. to think well of; understand and enjoy; esteem 2. to recognize and be grateful for; be thankful for 3. to estimate the quality or worth of,… …   English World dictionary

  • Appreciate — Ap*pre ci*ate, v. i. To rise in value. [See note under {Rise}, v. i.] J. Morse. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • appreciate — (v.) 1650s, to esteem or value highly, from L.L. appretiatus, pp. of appretiare to set a price to (see APPRAISE (Cf. appraise)). Meaning to rise in value (intransitive) first recorded 1789. Related: APPRECIATED (Cf. Appreciated); appreciating …   Etymology dictionary

  • appreciate — ► VERB 1) recognize the value or significance of. 2) understand (a situation) fully. 3) be grateful for. 4) rise in value or price. DERIVATIVES appreciator noun. ORIGIN Latin appretiare appraise , from pretium …   English terms dictionary

  • appreciate */*/ — UK [əˈpriːʃɪˌeɪt] / US [əˈprɪʃɪˌeɪt] verb Word forms appreciate : present tense I/you/we/they appreciate he/she/it appreciates present participle appreciating past tense appreciated past participle appreciated 1) [transitive, never progressive]… …   English dictionary

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