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Webster 1913 Edition

Value

Val′ue

(văl′ū)
,
Noun.
[OF.
value
, fr.
valoir
, p. p.
valu
, to be worth, fr. L.
valere
to be strong, to be worth. See
Valiant
.]
1.
The property or aggregate properties of a thing by which it is rendered useful or desirable, or the degree of such property or sum of properties; worth; excellence; utility; importance.
Ye are all physicians of no
value
.
Job xiii. 4.
Ye are of more
value
than many sparrows.
Matt. x. 31.
Caesar is well acquainted with your virtue,
And therefore sets this
value
on your life.
Addison.
Before events shall have decided on the
value
of the measures.
Marshall.
2.
(Trade & Polit. Econ.)
Worth estimated by any standard of purchasing power, especially by the market price, or the amount of money agreed upon as an equivalent to the utility and cost of anything.
An article may be possessed of the highest degree of utility, or power to minister to our wants and enjoyments, and may be universally made use of, without possessing exchangeable
value
.
M’Culloch.
Value
is the power to command commodities generally.
A. L. Chapin (Johnson's Cys.).
Value
is the generic term which expresses power in exchange.
F. A. Walker.
His design was not to pay him the
value
of his pictures, because they were above any price.
Dryden.
☞ In political economy, value is often distinguished as intrinsic and exchangeable. Intrinsic value is the same as utility or adaptation to satisfy the desires or wants of men. Exchangeable value is that in an article or product which disposes individuals to give for it some quantity of labor, or some other article or product obtainable by labor; as, pure air has an intrinsic value, but generally not an exchangeable value.
3.
Precise signification; import;
as, the
value
of a word; the
value
of a legal instrument
Mitford.
4.
Esteem; regard.
Dryden.
My relation to the person was so near, and my
value
for him so great
Bp. Burnet.
5.
(Mus.)
The relative length or duration of a tone or note, answering to quantity in prosody; thus, a quarter note [[GREEK]] has the value of two eighth notes [[GREEK]].
6.
In an artistical composition, the character of any one part in its relation to other parts and to the whole; – often used in the plural;
as, the
values
are well given, or well maintained
.
7.
Valor.
[Written also
valew
.]
[Obs.]
Spenser.
Value received
,
a phrase usually employed in a bill of exchange or a promissory note, to denote that a consideration has been given for it.
Bouvier.

Val′ue

(văl′ū)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Valued
(văl′ūd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Valuing
.]
1.
To estimate the value, or worth, of; to rate at a certain price; to appraise; to reckon with respect to number, power, importance, etc.
The mind doth
value
every moment.
Bacon.
The queen is
valued
thirty thousand strong.
Shakespeare
The king must take it ill,
That he's so slightly
valued
in his messenger.
Shakespeare
Neither of them
valued
their promises according to rules of honor or integrity.
Clarendon.
2.
To rate highly; to have in high esteem; to hold in respect and estimation; to appreciate; to prize;
as, to
value
one for his works or his virtues
.
Which of the dukes he
values
most.
Shakespeare
3.
To raise to estimation; to cause to have value, either real or apparent; to enhance in value.
[Obs.]
Some
value
themselves to their country by jealousies of the crown.
Sir W. Temple.
4.
To be worth; to be equal to in value.
[Obs.]
The peace between the French and us not
values

The cost that did conclude it.
Shakespeare
Syn. – To compute; rate; appraise; esteem; respect; regard; estimate; prize; appreciate.

Webster 1828 Edition

Value

VALUE

,
Noun.
val'u. [L. valor, from valeo, to be worth.]
1.
Worth; that property or those properties of a thing which render it useful or estimable; or the degree of that property or of such properties. The real value of a thing is its utility, its power or capacity of procuring or producing good. Hence the real or intrinsic value of iron, is far greater than that of gold. But there is, in many things, an estimated value, depending on opinion or fashion, such as the value of precious stones. The value of land depends on its fertility, or on its vicinity to a market, or on both.
2.
Price; the rate of worth set upon a commodity, or the amount for which a thing is sold. We say, the value of a thing is what it will bring in market.
3.
Worth; applied to persons.
Ye are all physicians of no value. Job. 13.
Ye are of more value than many sparrows. Matt. 10.
4.
High rate.
Caesar is well acquainted with your virtue, and therefore sets this value on your life.
5.
Importance; efficacy in producing effects; as considerations of no value.
Before events shall have decided on the value of the measures.
6.
Import; precise signification; as the value of a word or phrase.

VALUE

,
Verb.
T.
val'u.
1.
To estimate the worth of; to rate at a certain price; to apprise; as, to value lands or goods.
2.
To rate at a high price; to have in high esteem; as a valued poem or picture. A man is apt to value his own performances at too high a rate; he is even disposed to value himself for his humility.
3.
To esteem; to hold in respect and estimation; as, to value one for his works or virtues.
4.
To take account of.
The mind doth value every moment.
5.
To reckon or estimate with respect to number or power.
The queen is valu'd thirty thousand strong.
6.
To consider with respect to importance.
The king must take it ill, so slightly valu'd in his messenger.
Neither of them valued their premises according to the rules of honor or integrity.
7.
To raise to estimation.
Some value themselves to their country by jealousies to the crown. [Not in use.]
8.
To be worth. [Not in use.]

Definition 2024

value

value

See also: valué and valúe

English

Alternative forms

Noun

value ‎(countable and uncountable, plural values)

  1. The quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable.
    The Shakespearean Shylock is of dubious value in the modern world.‎
    • 2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:
      United were value for their win and Rooney could have had a hat-trick before half-time, with Paul Scholes also striking the post in the second half.
  2. (uncountable) The degree of importance given to something.
    The value of my children's happiness is second only to that of my wife.‎
  3. That which is valued or highly esteemed, as one's morals, morality, or belief system.
    He does not share his parents' values.
    family values
    • 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:
      WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, […]. They also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies.
  4. The amount (of money or goods or services) that is considered to be a fair equivalent for something else.
    • M'Culloch
      An article may be possessed of the highest degree of utility, or power to minister to our wants and enjoyments, and may be universally made use of, without possessing exchangeable value.
    • Dryden
      His design was not to pay him the value of his pictures, because they were above any price.
    • 2013 August 3, “Boundary problems”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
      Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory. Its apparent simplicity explains why it is scrutinised down to tenths of a percentage point every month.
  5. (music) The relative duration of a musical note.
    The value of a crotchet is twice that of a quaver.‎
  6. (art) The relative darkness or lightness of a color in (a specific area of) a painting etc.
    • Joe Hing Lowe
      I establish the colors and principal values by organizing the painting into three values--dark, medium […] and light.
  7. Numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed.
    The exact value of pi cannot be represented in decimal notation.‎
  8. Precise meaning; import.
    the value of a word; the value of a legal instrument
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Mitford to this entry?)
  9. (in the plural) The valuable ingredients to be obtained by treating a mass or compound; specifically, the precious metals contained in rock, gravel, etc.
    The vein carries good values.
    the values on the hanging walls
  10. (obsolete) Esteem; regard.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)
    • Bishop Burnet
      My relation to the person was so near, and my value for him so great.
  11. (obsolete) valour; also spelled valew
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

Synonyms

  • (quality that renders something desirable): worth
  • (the conceptual values and precepts of a social system, for example sexuality or political economy): valence

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

value ‎(third-person singular simple present values, present participle valuing, simple past and past participle valued)

  1. To estimate the value of; judge the worth of something.
    • 2013 August 3, “Boundary problems”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
      Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. […] But as a foundation for analysis it is highly subjective: it rests on difficult decisions about what counts as a territory, what counts as output and how to value it. Indeed, economists are still tweaking it.
    I will have the family jewels valued by a professional.‎
  2. To fix or determine the value of; assign a value to, as of jewelry or art work.
  3. To regard highly; think much of; place importance upon.
    Gold was valued highly among the Romans.‎
  4. To hold dear.
    I value these old photographs.‎

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: stone · tree · cost · #782: value · cast · speaking · circumstances

Anagrams

French

Verb

value

  1. feminine singular of the past participle of valoir

Etymology

From Middle English valew, value, from Old French value ( = Italian valuta), feminine past participle of valoir, from Latin valēre ‎(“be strong, be worth”), from Proto-Indo-European *walh₂- ‎(“to be strong”).

Pronunciation

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