Priciest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. The item or option with the highest cost when compared to others signifies the one that requires the most financial investment
2. Referring to something that is more costly than all alternatives available, this term identifies the top price point among similar items
3. The term describes an item that demands the highest expenditure in a comparison with other similar options, indicating it is the most expensive choice available

Etymology: "Priciest" is an inflected form, the superlative of "pricey", which means "expensive" or "costly". Its base is "price" with the suffix "-y", which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "having a certain quality". The suffix descends from Old English "-iġ", which carried the same sense of having or being characterized by something, and it has been attached to English nouns for well over a thousand years. "Price" itself is an old word with a surprisingly broad past. It traces back through Proto-Germanic to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning something like "to buy" or "to exchange," and it originally referred to the value or worth of a thing rather than specifically to a sum of money. The "-y" ending then gave the sense of "full of price," or having a high price, which led to the everyday modern meaning of "costly." The superlative "priciest" follows the regular pattern for two-syllable adjectives ending in "-y," changing the "-y" to "-iest." It is simply a standard inflection, so its history is that of "pricey" and "price" rather than a separate development.

Synonyms: most expensive, costliest, dearest, highest-priced, premium

Antonyms: cheapest, least expensive, bargain, inexpensive, affordable