The door was prised open by the editor of The American Prospect, Michael Tomasky, and we all spilled out, still furiously bonding.
With the point of nurse's scissors we prised the viands from the platters.
Vashti prised at a loose stone from the wall with the point of her sunshade.
He took Pinto's knife from his hand and prised one of the discs loose.
They raked out his fire, and prised up a loose board in the floor.
Directly the valves were prised apart the pearl fell into my hand.
Then Jackson went to the little window—which was not made to open—and prised out the sash with the edge of his axe-blade.
I shut the outer door, prised up the trap, and dropped into the vault, which had been floored roughly with green bricks.
Tremulous and half dead, I prised myself over the edge with my hands, and knelt once more on the hill beside Elsie.
And next they reached the gibbet: and one swarmed up the black post, and hammered and filed and prised, and then, oh merciful God!
"reward," prise (c.1300 in this sense), from Old French pris "price, value, worth; reward" (see price (n.)). As an adjective, "worthy of a prize," from 1803. The spelling with -z- is from late 16c. Prize-fighter is from 1703; prize-fight from 1730 (prize-fighter from 1785).
"something taken by force," mid-13c., prise "a taking, holding," from Old French prise "a taking, seizing, holding," noun use of fem. past participle of prendre "to take, seize," from Latin prendere, contraction of prehendere "lay hold of, grasp, seize, catch" (see prehensile). Especially of ships captured at sea (1510s). The spelling with -z- is from late 16c.
"to estimate," 1580s, alteration of Middle English prisen "to prize, value" (late 14c.), from stem of Old French preisier "to praise" (see praise (v.)). Related: Prized; prizing.
