treasure / preciousness
Loading your saved state.
treasure
A very valuable, rare, or expensive object. Often used in the plural to describe a collection of such objects.
Das Museum stellt in einer Vitrine seine wertvollsten Kostbarkeiten aus.
The museum displays its most valuable treasures in a glass case.
The noun 'Kostbarkeit' (treasure/preciousness) is derived from the adjective 'kostbar' (valuable/precious). The ending '-keit' forms a noun that describes the quality expressed by the adjective.
Er schätzte die Kostbarkeit dieses seltenen Buches sehr.
He greatly valued the preciousness of this rare book.
'Kostbarkeit' (treasure/preciousness) can be countable or uncountable. In the plural ('die Kostbarkeiten' — treasures), it refers to valuable objects. In the singular without an article, it describes the abstract quality of being valuable.
Das Museum bewahrt seine schönsten Kostbarkeiten in einem Tresor auf.
The museum keeps its most beautiful treasures in a safe.
In its abstract meaning, 'Kostbarkeit' (preciousness) is often used to emphasize the ideal value of non-material things. Typical phrases are 'die Kostbarkeit des Lebens' (the preciousness of life), 'der Freundschaft' (of friendship), or 'des Augenblicks' (of the moment).
In der Stille der Natur spürte er die Kostbarkeit des Moments.
In the silence of nature, he felt the preciousness of the moment.
value
'der Wert' and 'die Kostbarkeit' can both express that something is valuable. 'Wert' is more neutral and can mean the exact financial price or an important significance. 'Kostbarkeit' sounds stronger and more special: it often refers to a rare, expensive, or highly treasured object. The words can be confused because both have to do with value. For exact prices, use 'Wert'; for something very special or precious, 'Kostbarkeit' fits better.
Im Museum liegt eine alte Kostbarkeit aus Gold hinter Glas.
In the museum, an old gold treasure lies behind glass.
Der Wert der Uhr wurde von einem Experten geprüft.
The value of the watch was assessed by an expert.