See Also: Exercise price or strike price of an option(finance)
Flat price (clean price)(finance)
Flat price (also clean price)(money)
Retail price index (RPI) or consumer price index (CPI)(finance)
Asking Price(money)
Price gap(money)
Price(medicine)
PRICE(finance)
off-price(dictionary)
price(1)(dictionary)

price(1) (iou)



price noun & adjective. . See also PRIZE noun1. ME.
[Old French pris (mod. prix) from Latin pretium price, value, wages, reward. Cf. PRAISE noun.]
A. noun.
I.
The (esp. stated) sum in money or goods for which a thing is or may be bought or sold, or a thing or person ransomed or redeemed; spec. in pl., the current level of prices charged by a shop, hotel, etc., for goods or services. Formerly also, a rate for labour, wages. ME.
A. Kenny Cigarettes at duty-free prices. E. Leonard All they get..are tourists..the way their prices are. Which? An average price for each item.
b. Payment in purchase of something. obsolete exc. in without price (a) below. LME.
c. Reckoning or statement of the value of something, estimation of value. Only in above price, beyond price, without price (b), below. L16.
d. Economics. The actual cost of acquiring, producing, etc., something calculated according to some specific measure. L17.
fig. The cost of a thing in expenditure of effort, endurance, suffering, etc.; what is borne, sacrificed, surrendered, etc., to obtain some advantage. LME.
B. Neil Was madness the price for a few hours' living? P. de Vries The stops..were small price to pay for the stimulations..of that journey.
A sum of money offered as a reward for the capture or killing of a person. Chiefly in put a price on a person's head, set a price on a person's head below. M18.
The amount of money etc. needed to procure a person's interest or support. M18.
J. Bentham It is a well-known adage,..that every man has his price.
The odds in betting. L19.
II.
Value, worth; esp. high value. Formerly also, honourableness, virtue. arch. ME.
Bible (AV): Matthew 13:46 One pearle of great price.
Esteem, regard; esp. high esteem. ME-M17.
b. Valuation, assessment. rare (Shakes.). Only in E17.
III.
= PRAISE noun 1a. ME-M16.
= PRAISE noun 1b. ME-E17.
IV. See PRIZE noun1.
Phrases: above price = beyond price below. a price on one's head a reward on offer for one's capture or death. ASKING price. at any price whatever it may cost, whatever loss, sacrifice, etc., is or may be entailed. at a price at a high cost, entailing considerable loss, sacrifice, etc. beyond price so valuable that no price can be stated. long price: see LONG adjective1. MARKED price. maximum price: see MAXIMUM adjective. middle price: see MIDDLE adjective. of price (a) (of a thing) precious, valuable; (b) (of a person) worthy, honourable. put a price on a person's head, set a price on a person's head offer a reward for a person's capture or death. reserve price: see RESERVE noun 5b. retail price index, retail price maintenance: see RETAIL noun, adjective. set a price on a person's head: see put a price on a person's head above. short price: see SHORT adjective. unit price: see UNIT noun1 & adjective. upset price: see UPSET adjective. what price ? what is the value or use of ?; what is the likelihood of ? without price (a) arch. without payment, free; (b) = beyond price above.
Comb.: price buster (colloq., orig. US) (a) a person who or thing which inflates or reduces the price of an item or commodity; (b) an item or commodity selling at a reduced price; price control governmental establishment and maintenance of a maximum price to be charged for specified goods and services; price-current a price-list for a particular range of goods etc.; price-cut verb & noun (a) verb trans. & intrans. practise price-cutting (on); (b) noun a reduction made by price-cutting; price-cutting the action of reducing the price of goods for sale, esp. in order to compete with other traders; price discrimination the action of charging different prices to different customers for the same goods or services; price-earnings multiple, price-earnings ratio Economics the ratio between the current market price of a company's stock and its annual per-share income; price elasticity the extent to which demand for goods etc. is affected by a change in price; price-fixed adjective (of goods for sale etc.) maintained at a certain price level by price fixing; price-fixing the action of maintaining prices at a certain level by agreement between traders; price index: showing the variation in the prices of a set of goods etc. since a chosen base period; price leader a dominant firm that determines the prices within an industry; price-list: giving current prices of goods for sale etc.; price-mark noun & verb (a) noun a mark on an item for sale indicating its price; (b) verb trans. (US) put a price-mark on (an item for sale); price movement a fluctuation in price; price point (chiefly US) a point on a scale of possible prices at which something might be marketed; price ring an association of traders formed to control certain prices; price shading the action of changing prices by small gradations; price stop a ban on price increases; price support assistance in maintaining the levels of prices regardless of supply or demand; price system an economic system in which prices are determined by market forces; price tab US a bill; price tag, price ticket (a) a label on an item indicating its price; (b) Economics the estimated value of a company, esp. as the sum required for a takeover etc.; price war intense competition among traders by price-cutting.
B. adjective. Precious, valuable; (of a person) worthy, honourable. ME-E17.