'apprize' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'apreisier' (also spelled 'apreiser'), where the prefix 'a-' joined with a root related to 'preis' (from Latin 'pretium') meaning 'price' or 'value'.

'apprize' changed from Middle English forms such as 'apprisen' (from Old French 'apreisier'/'apreiser') and eventually existed as the modern English variant 'apprize', often overlapping with 'appraise' and occasionally confused with 'apprise'.

Initially, it meant 'to set a price or determine value', but over time it has also been used (less commonly) to mean 'to inform' through confusion with 'apprise'; modern usage is rare and often considered a variant of 'appraise' or a nonstandard form of 'apprise'.