appreciate

Appreciate is a verb with several related senses. It can mean to recognize the value, importance, or quality of something: I appreciate your advice. It can mean to understand or perceive something: I appreciate how hard this is. It can express gratitude or thankfulness: I would really appreciate your help. It can also mean to increase in value or price: The asset appreciated in value last year.

Etymology: The word derives from Middle French apprecier, from Latin appretiāre “to prize, value,” related to pretium “price.” The English sense of valuing and estimating developed in the late Middle Ages, while the sense of gratitude and acknowledgment grew in later usage.

Usage notes: Appreciate typically takes a direct object when used to mean valuing or understanding (appreciate something, appreciate a point) but can be intransitive in the financial sense (The currency appreciated). In everyday language, “I appreciate it” is a common reply conveying gratitude. The noun form is appreciation; related adjectives are appreciative and appreciable; the verb’s opposite in value terms is depreciate.

Related terms and contrasts: Appreciation (gratitude or recognition), appreciable (noticeable), and appreciative (showing gratitude). In economics, appreciation contrasts with depreciation, which means a decline in value.