'appreciate' originates from Late Latin, specifically the word 'appretiare' (from Latin elements 'ad-' + 'pretium'), where 'ad-' meant 'to/toward' and 'pretium' meant 'price, value'.

'appreciate' passed into Old French as 'aprecier' and Middle English as 'apprecien'/'appreciaten', and eventually became the modern English word 'appreciate'.

Initially, it meant 'to estimate the price or value of' (price/assess), but over time it evolved to include 'recognize worth', 'be grateful', and the financial sense 'to increase in value'.