prĕtĭum, ii, n. [Sanscr. root par-, pana (for parna), wager, loan; Gr. πι-πράσκω, to sell; πρίαμαι, to buy; cf. πόρνος], that for or by which any thing is bought or sold (class.).
I Lit., money spent for any thing: nil pretio parsit, filio dum parceret, Plaut. Capt. prol. 32: femina ... urbem Exiguam pretio posuit, for money has founded a small city , Verg. A. 4, 211: vectigalia parvo pretio redempta habere, for little money , cheaply , Caes. B. G. 1, 18: pretio mercari ordinem senatorium, to purchase , to gain with money , Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 49, § 122: permutare pretio noluit, aliāve merce, Plin. 9, 55, 81, § 171.—
B In gen., money , wealth , etc. (poet.), Ov. P. 2, 8, 6: in pretio pretium nunc est, id. F. 1, 217: converso in pretium deo, i. e. into a shower of gold , Hor. C. 3, 16, 8.—
II Transf., worth , value , price.
A In gen.: nec mi aurum posco nec mi pretium dederitis, Enn. ap. Cic. Off. 1, 12, 38 (Ann. v. 200 Vahl.): pretium statuere merci, to set , fix , Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 133: pretium certum constituere, Cic. Att. 12, 33, 1: enumerare, id. Rosc. Am. 46, 133: pacisci pro re aliquā, to agree upon , settle , id. Off. 3, 29, 107: exsolvere, Plaut. Men. 5, 6, 26: quibus hic pretiis porci veneunt? at what prices are they sold here? id. ib. 2, 2, 15: vendere aliquid pretio suo, id. Pers. 4, 4, 30; id. Ps. 1, 2, 36: parare sibi pretio aliquid, id. Merc. 2, 3, 7: multi extulerunt eorum pretia, Varr. R. R. 3, 6, 6: jacent pretia praediorum, are low , down , fallen , Cic. Rosc. Com. 12, 33.—
B Esp.
1 In phrases: magni, parvi pretii esse, to be high or low in price , of much or little worth , of great or of small value : nullus est tam parvi pretii, quin, Plaut. Aul. 4, 10, 60: ne tu habes servum graphicum, et quantivis pretii! id. Ep. 3, 3, 29: agrum majoris pretii nemo habet, Ter. Heaut. 64: noli spectare, quanti homo sit: parvi enim pretii est, qui jam nihil est, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 2, 4: de illis potissimum jactura fit, quia pretii minimi sunt, Sall. Or. ad Caes. 2, 9: pretium habere, to have a value , to be worth something : vendat oleum, si pretium habeat, Cato R. R. 2, 7: annona porro pretium nisi in calamitate fructuum non habet, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 98, § 227; but also: pretium habere, to have a price , be for sale : quis ignorat quin id longe sit liberalibus disciplinis dignissimum, non vendere operam: cum pleraque hoc ipso possint videri vilia, quod pretium habent, Quint. 12, 7, 8; hence: pretium non habere, to have no price , be above price (late Lat.): nihil esse pretiosius, immo eum pretium non habere testatur, Aug. Serm. 36, 8: in pretio esse, to be of worth , value , or estimation , to be in repute : tum coquus in pretio esse (coeptus), Liv. 39, 6, 9: nec in pretio fertilis hortus erat, Ov. F. 5, 316; Plin. 33, 1, 6, § 22: in pretio habere, to regard as of value : in magno pretio habere, Sen. Ep. 75, 11: aurum et argentum in pretio habent, Tac. G. 5; for which cf.: pudebat libertatis majus esse apud feminas quam apud viros pretium, Curt. 8, 2, 28: pretium facere, to fix or set a price or value; of a seller: indica, fac pretium. Do. Tua merx est; tua indicatio est, Plaut. Pers. 4, 4, 37; of a purchaser: quis faceret pretium, nisi qui sua perdere vellet Omnia? Mart. 1, 86, 7; Dig. 10, 3, 19.—
2 Wages , reward (mostly poet.): pro pretio facio ut opera appareat, Plaut. Ps. 3, 2, 59: operam Epidici nunc me emere pretio pretioso velim, id. Ep. 1, 2, 17: reddere alicui pro benefactis, id. Capt. 5, 1, 20: palmae pretium victoribus, Verg. A. 5, 111.—
III Trop., worth , value : quales ex hac die experiundo cognovit, perinde operae eorum pretium faceret, would estimate their services , Liv. 27, 17: sive aliquod morum Est pretium, Ov. Tr. 1, 9, 43: corticis etiam ad medicamenta pretium est, Plin. 12, 25, 54, § 118; 12, 19, 43, § 95.—
B Transf., pay , hire , wages , reward , price (cf.: stipendium, merces).
1 In a good sense: majores seorsum atque diversum pretium paravere bonis atque strenuis, decurionatus ... aliosque honores, Cato ap. Fest. s. v. optionatus, p. 201 Müll.; so, = praemium (opp. poena), ita et pretium recte facti triumphum haberet L. Paulus pro egregie bello gesto, Liv. 45, 37, 5: ut pretium honoremque debito beneficio addat, id. 45, 14, 1: cum pro cujusque merito consul pretia poenasque exsolvisset, id. 26, 40, 15 Weissenb. ad loc.: satis ampla pretia, prizes , id. 21, 43, 6: virtutum pretium, Sen. Clem. 1, 1, 1.— Plur. : tam longā valetudine conflictabatur, ut haec tanta pretia vivendi mortis rationibus vincerentur, rewards of living , i. e. motives for living , Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 4.—Esp. in phrase pretium curae, and more freq. pretium operae, a reward for trouble : mihi visum est pretium curae, ipsum, senatus consultum quaerere, seemed to me worth the trouble , worth while , Plin. Ep. 8, 6, 2: est pretium curae cognoscere, etc., Juv. 6, 474: facturusne operae pretium sim, etc.,... nec satis scio, what will pay for the trouble , Liv. praef.: operae pretium habent libertatem, civitatemque, id. 25, 6; 21, 43: audire est operae pretium, etc., Enn. ap. Acron. ad Hor. S. 1, 2, 37 (Ann. v. 454 Vahl.); so Liv. 3, 26, 7: reddere opis pretium pro factis, Enn. ap. Sen. Ep. 108 (Epigr. v. 6 Vahl.): quo in genere est operae pretium diligentiam majorum recordari, it is worth while , Cic. Agr. 2, 27, 73: captā urbe, operae pretium fore, Sall. J. 81, 2; so without operae (post-Aug.): Germanico pretium fuit convertere agmen, thought it of importance , Tac. A. 1, 57: ni pretium foret Pisonis sententias noscere, were it not worth while , were it not of importance , id. ib. 2, 35: posse eum, si operae pretium faciat, principem popularium esse, if he does any thing worth while , any thing of importance , Liv. 25, 30: duos servos ad hostes transfugisse et operae pretium fecisse, have done valuable service , Quadrig. ap. Sen. Ben. 3, 23: scriptor minime utilis, cujus libro adtingere nullum pretium operae sit, Gell. 12, 2, 1; so, operis pretium est, Sil. 16, 45.—
2 In a bad sense (i. q. poena), reward , punishment , like the Gr. τιμή, μισθός (poet.): si malos imitabor, tum pretium pro noxā dabis, Liv. And. ap. Non. 365, 27: verbera, compedes, molae ... haec pretia sunt ignaviae, Plaut. Men. 5, 6, 10: ego pretium ob stultitiam fero, Ter. And. 610: et peccare nefas, aut pretium est mori, Hor. C. 3, 24, 24: ille crucem pretium sceleris tulit, hic diadema, Juv. 13, 105.—Of bribery : adduci pretio ad hominem condemnandum, Cic. Caecin. 10, 29: pretio judicem corrumpere, id. ib. 25, 72: nec prece, nec pretio a rectā viā deduci, Auct. Her. 3, 3, 4.