Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To move or force with a lever; pry.
  • noun Chiefly Southern US Something used as a lever or for prying.
  • noun Something offered or won as an award for superiority or victory, as in a contest or competition.
  • noun Something worth striving for; a highly desirable possession.
  • adjective Offered or given as a prize.
  • adjective Given a prize, or likely to win a prize.
  • adjective Worthy of a prize; first-class.
  • transitive verb To value highly; esteem or treasure. synonym: appreciate.
  • transitive verb To estimate the worth of; evaluate.
  • noun Something seized by force or taken as booty, especially an enemy ship and its cargo captured at sea during wartime.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Estimation; valuation; appraisement.
  • noun The hold of a lever; purchase.
  • noun A lever.
  • To set or estimate the value of; rate.
  • To value highly; regard as of great worth; esteem.
  • To favor or ease (an affected limb), as a horse.
  • Synonyms To appraise.
  • Value, Esteem, etc. See appreciate.
  • To force or press, especially force open by means of a lever, as a door, etc.
  • noun A taking or capture, as of the property of an enemy in war.
  • noun In hunting, the note of the horn blown at the capture or death of the game.
  • noun That which is taken from an enemy in war; any species of goods or property seized by force as spoil or plunder; that which is taken in combat, particularly a ship with the property taken in it.
  • noun In early English law, a seizure or the asserted right of seizure of money or chattels by way of exaction or requisition for t he use of the crown; more specifically, a toll of that nature exacted on merchandise in a commercial town.
  • noun That which is obtained or offered as the reward of exertion or contest: as, a prize for Latin verses.
  • noun That which is won in a lottery, or in any similar way.
  • noun A possession or acquisition which is prized; any gain or advantage; privilege.
  • noun A contest for a reward; a competition.
  • Worthy of a prize; that has gained a prize.
  • Given or awarded as a prize: as, a prize cup.
  • To risk or venture.
  • To make a prize of; capture; seize.
  • noun In tobacco manufacturing: A press operated by a lever. Compare prize-beam.
  • noun The pressure exerted by a lever or press.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun That which is taken from another; something captured; a thing seized by force, stratagem, or superior power.
  • noun (Law) Anything captured by a belligerent using the rights of war; esp., property captured at sea in virtue of the rights of war, as a vessel.
  • noun An honor or reward striven for in a competitive contest; anything offered to be competed for, or as an inducement to, or reward of, effort.
  • noun That which may be won by chance, as in a lottery.
  • noun Anything worth striving for; a valuable possession held or in prospect.
  • noun obsolete A contest for a reward; competition.
  • noun A lever; a pry; also, the hold of a lever.
  • noun a court having jurisdiction of all captures made in war on the high seas.
  • noun an exhibition contest, esp. one of pugilists, for a stake or wager.
  • noun one who fights publicly for a reward; -- applied esp. to a professional boxer or pugilist.
  • noun fighting, especially boxing, in public for a reward or wager.
  • noun an officer put in charge or command of a captured vessel.
  • noun a medal given as a prize.
  • noun a dividend from the proceeds of a captured vessel, etc., paid to the captors.
  • noun the ring or inclosure for a prize fight; the system and practice of prize fighting.
  • noun to capture.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Middle English prise, instrument for prying, probably from prise, the taking of something; see prize.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of Middle English pris, value, price, reward; see price.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of Middle English prise, from Old French, from feminine past participle of prendre, from Latin prehendere, prēndere, to seize; see ghend- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English prise, from Old French prise ("a taking, capture, a seizure, a thing seized, a prize, booty, also hold, purchase"), from French prise, from pris, past participle of prendre ("to take, to capture"), from Latin prendere ("to take, seize"); see prehend. Compare prison, apprise, comprise, enterprise, purprise, reprisal, suprise, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English prysen, from Old French priser ("to set a price or value on, esteem, value"), from pris ("price"), from Latin pretium ("price, value"); see price. Compare praise, appraise, apprize.

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