value

Where does the word "value" come from? It comes from Latin valere, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Value’s story begins in Latin: valere meant “to be strong, be worth.” The root of 'valiant' and 'valid'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as valoir. Its past participle 'value' became a noun. It reached English by 1300s as value. 'values' as moral principles dates from the 1900s. Today, value means the importance or worth of something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient valere "to be strong, be worth", the root of 'valiant' and 'valid'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval valoir "to be worth", its past participle 'value' became a noun.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s value "worth", 'values' as moral principles dates from the 1900s.