Esteem

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɪˈstiːm/

Definitions

1. High regard or respect for someone or something, often accompanied by admiration for their qualities or achievements
2. A favorable opinion or admiration for an individual or entity that reflects a sense of respect and honor associated with their attributes or accomplishments
3. An appreciation or recognition of worth towards a person or thing that typically conveys respect and admiration for their characteristics and successes

Etymology: "Esteem" and "aim" are, surprisingly, the same word that split into two paths. Both descend from the Latin "aestimare," which meant to value, assess or reckon the worth of something, and which also gave us "estimate." In English the older form was "aim," and it once carried the sense of estimating or reckoning a value, which is why "esteem" and "aim" can look like unrelated words today even though they share a root. "Esteem" entered English at the end of the 16th century, borrowed from Middle French "estimer," which had come from the same Latin source. The word therefore arrived in English as a fresh borrowing from French, after the older "aim" had already come into use with its own, more specialised shade of meaning. Its sense of prizing someone for their qualities grew naturally out of the original idea of weighing or assessing worth.

Synonyms: regard, admiration, respect, appreciation, value

Antonyms: disdain, contempt, scorn, disrespect, derision