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Picture of Kalleh
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Or...are you invaluable?

I was writing some recommendations and started to say the person's input was "valuable," but then changed it to "invaluable." It made me think. Why is it that "invaluable" is so much better than "valuable?"
 
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Picture of arnie
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You can put a price on something that is just "valuable". If it's "invaluable" it's priceless.


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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Picture of Kalleh
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You sound like a Master Card commercial. Wink
 
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Would that make fantabulous priceless, too? Or is it just a little more than fabulous?
 
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Picture of arnie
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That's just a portmanteau between fantastic/fantasy and fabulous. I don't think there's any implication of value included in the meaning.


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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Picture of zmježd
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invaluable

I read the in- in this word as the same one in inflammable: an intensive prefix, not meaning not but very. But, then, I see that same prefix in irregardless. Along these lines, why is priceless positive, but worthless not? And, what about without price? Is it that worth is intrinsic, but price is set from without?


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
 
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