Lewis & Short

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.).

  1. 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.
    1. 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.
  2. II. Transf., worth, value, price.
    1. 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.
    2. B. Esp.
      1. 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. 1, 1, 12: 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. 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.
  3. 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.
    1. B. Transf., pay, hire, wages, reward, price (cf.: stipendium, merces).
      1. 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. 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. 3, 5, 4: 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. Caecil. 10, 29: pretio judicem corrumpere, id. ib. 25, 72: nec prece, nec pretio a rectā viā deduci, Auct. Her. 3, 3, 4.