Valuing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The practice of assessing the importance and worth of something involves understanding its relevance and impact within a specific context
2. Engaging in the process of recognizing and appreciating the significance of objects or ideas requires a thoughtful evaluation of their value
3. The act of determining the monetary or intrinsic worth of an item or concept

Etymology: "Valuing" is the present participle of "value," so its history is really the history of the verb it comes from. That verb traces back to Latin "valēre," meaning "be strong" or "be worth," which is also the root of "valiant" and "valid." The Latin sense of strength carried over into worth: something that was strong or sound was something that counted for something. The English noun arrived from Old French "value," the feminine past participle of "valoir," which itself came from that Latin source. Middle English spellings like "valew" show the word settling into English in its nominal form, and the verb developed from the noun, so the idea of putting a price or weight on something came before the action of judging it. Behind the Latin lies a much older Indo-European root meaning "to be strong," which is why a word about worth and a word about physical power are such close relatives.

Synonyms: estimating, appraising, assessing, evaluating, pricing

Antonyms: devaluing, diminishing, discounting, undervaluing, INVALID