喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture a normal price, and then a little more stacked on top of it. That extra layer is the word. Sometimes you look at the extra as money going out (you pay more for the better seat, the rarer flat, the insurance cover); sometimes you look at it as a mark of standing (whatever can command that extra must be a level above). Same layer, seen from two sides.

可以想成：一個正常的價格，上面再疊一小塊。那多出來的一塊就是這個字。有時候你看的是錢往外走——為了好一點的座位、難買…更多收起可以想成：一個正常的價格，上面再疊一小塊。那多出來的一塊就是這個字。有時候你看的是錢往外走——為了好一點的座位、難買的房子、一份保障，你願意多付；有時候你看的是那塊多出來的錢反過來說明的事：能讓人願意多付，表示它高一級。同一塊「多出來」，從兩邊看，就長出這個字的各種用法。

From the word’s history

From Latin praemium 'reward, profit', from prae- 'before' + emere 'to buy, take'. English took the insurance sense from Italian premio in the 1660s; 'at a premium' (more than the usual value) dates from 1828, and the 'superior quality' use is recent, first recorded of butter in 1925.

來自拉丁文 praemium（獎賞、所得），由 prae-（在前）+ emere（買、取）組成。英文的「保費」義是 1660 年代從義大利文 premio 借來的；at a premium（高於平常價值）約 1828 年出現；而「高級的」這個用法很晚才有，最早的紀錄是 1925 年用來形容奶油。所以順序是：先有「一筆額外的錢」，「高一級」是後來從價格反推出來的。

Etymonline, https://www.etymonline.com/word/premium

From the picture

保險要繳的錢

一樣是「為了某樣好處付出去的錢」，只是這裡被保險業固定成專有名詞：你定期繳，換的是出事時的保障。

insurance premium · noun · C2

The money you pay regularly to an insurance company so it will help you if something goes wrong.

保費

比一般高一級

把那筆多出來的錢當成標籤反過來用：既然要多付才買得到，這樣東西就被歸類成高一級的。

high quality · adjective · C2

Of very high quality, and usually more expensive than normal things.

高級的／頂級的

稀少所以被高估價

從實際的錢走向抽象的估價：東西少、大家搶，它的「身價」就被抬起來；再往前一步，連態度上的看重也用同一個字說。

at a premium · noun · C2

If something is at a premium, people want it but there is very little of it, so it is hard to get.

供不應求／珍稀

Also in this word

extra charge · noun · C2

An extra amount of money added on top of the normal price, often because something is better or hard to get.

溢價／額外費用

premium (higher) price · adjective · C2

A premium price or rate is higher than the usual one.

高價的／較高費率的

原始詞典資料8 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

premiumadj/ˈpɹiː.miː.əm/

  • 1

    Superior in quality; higher in price or value.

  • 2

    automotivetransportvehiclesHigh-end; belonging to the market segment between mid-market and luxury.

premiumnoun/ˈpɹiː.miː.əm/

  • 1

    A prize or award.

  • 2

    Something offered at a reduced price as an inducement to buy something else.

  • 3

    A bonus paid in addition to normal payments.

    • At first I wrote it off to the simpler protocols of grandparenthood, with its premium on uncomplicated gestures of generosity and love.
  • 4

    businessinsuranceThe amount to be paid for an insurance policy.

    • (Of course, if an insured dies during the grace period, the unpaid annual premium or instalment thereof is past due and therefore is deducted from the death benefit.)
    • Notice that these premia would exist even in a world of risk-neutral lenders if there were identifiable classes of nonrepaying borrowers.
  • 5

    An unusually high value.

  • 6

    businessfinanceThe amount by which a security's value exceeds its face value.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。