"P" Word Origins

procreative

Origin

From Latin prōcreātīvus. By surface analysis, procreate + -ive.

proctologist

Origin

From proctology + -ist.

proctor

Middle English

From Middle English procatour, a shortened form of procuratour — related to proxy and a doublet of procurator.

procuracy

Origin

Inherited from Middle English procuracie, from Anglo-Norman procuracie, from Latin prōcūrātia, analyzed as procure + -cy (“office of”). Doublet of proxy.

procuration

Origin

Inherited from Middle English procuracioun, from Middle French procuration and its etymon Latin prōcūrātiōnem (through Old French procuracion). By surface analysis, procure + -ation; compare procuracy and procuratory.

procurator

Latin

From Latin prōcūrātor, from prōcūrō, "to manage on behalf of another" — a doublet of proctor and procurer.

procuratorate

Origin

From Medieval Latin prōcūrātorātus. By surface analysis, procurator + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office).

procure

Late Latin

From Old French procurer, from Late Latin prōcūrāre, "to manage or take care of," from prō ("on behalf of") + cūrō ("to care for").

procurement

Old French

From Old French procurement, from procurer, "to procure."

procurer

Origin

Inherited from Middle English procurour, from Anglo-Norman procurour and continental Old French procureor, from Latin prōcūrātor; by surface analysis, procure + er. Doublet of proctor and procurator.

procuress

Origin

From Old French procureresse (compare French procureuse), corresponding to procure + -ess.

prod

Old Norse

Likely an alteration of the older word brod, meaning "goad" or "spike," from Old Norse broddr.

prodigal

Late Latin

From Late Latin prōdigālis, "wasteful," from Latin prōdigus, "lavish, wasteful." The "returning after abandonment" sense comes from the biblical Parable of the Prodigal Son.

prodigality

Origin

From prodigal + -ity, from Old French prodigalite, from Late Latin prodigalitas.

prodigious

Latin

From Latin prōdigiōsus, "strange, marvellous," from prōdigium, "omen, portent" — related to the word prodigy.

prodigy

Latin

From Latin prōdigium, "omen, portent, prophetic sign."

produce

Latin

From Latin prōdūcō, "to lead forth," from prō- ("forth") + dūcō ("to lead").

producer

Origin

From produce + -er.

product

Latin

From Latin prōductus, the past participle of prōdūcō, "to lead forth" — first used in English in a mathematical sense.

production

Latin

From Old French production, from Latin prōductiō, "a lengthening, an extending," from prōdūcō — the same root as produce.

productive

Late Latin

Borrowed from Late Latin prōductīvus, from the same root as produce.

productivity

Origin

From productive + -ity.

prof

Origin

Shortening.

profanation

Origin

From Middle French prophanation, profanation, and its source, Late Latin profanatio, from the participle stem of Latin profānō.

profane

Latin

From Latin profānus, "not sacred," from pro- ("in front of, outside") + fānum ("temple") — literally "outside the temple."

profaned

Origin

From the past and past participle of the verb profane.

profanity

Latin

From Latin profānitās, built from profane + -ity.

profess

Latin

From Old French professer, from Latin profitērī, "to declare openly," from pro- + fatērī ("to acknowledge").

profession

Latin

From Latin professiō, "public declaration," from profitērī, "to profess."

professional

Origin

From profession + -al.

professionalism

Origin

Built from "professional" plus the suffix "-ism," which turns a quality into an abstract noun.

professionality

Origin

From professional + -ity.

professionally

Origin

From "professional" plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly."

professor

Latin

From Latin professor, "one who declares or claims knowledge," related to profiteor, "to profess."

professorial

Origin

From Latin professōrius (“professiorial; authoritative”) + -al. By surface analysis, professor + -ial.

proffer

Latin

From Old French poroffrir/proffrir, ultimately from Latin offerre, "to offer" — a distant cousin of the modern word "offer."

proficiency

Latin

From Latin proficiens, "advancing, making progress," plus the noun suffix "-ency."

proficient

Latin

From Latin proficere, "to advance, make progress" — from pro- ("forward") and facere ("to make, do").

profile

Latin

From Italian profilo, from Latin pro- ("before") plus filum ("a thread, line") — literally "a line drawn beforehand."

profiler

Origin

From "profile" plus the agent suffix "-er."

profilist

Origin

From profile + -ist.

profit

Latin

From Old French profit, from Latin proficio, "to advance, make progress, be useful."

profitable

Old French

From Old French profitable, built from "profit" plus the suffix "-able."

profligate

Origin

The adjective is first attested in 1535, the verb in 1542; borrowed from Latin prōflīgātus, perfect passive participle of prōflīgō (“to strike down, cast down”) (see -ate (etymology 1, 2 an 3) and pro-), from prō- (“forward”) + flīgō (“to strike, dash”) + -ō (1st conjugation compound verb-forming suffix). Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

profluent

Origin

From Latin profluens, from profluere (“to flow forth”), from pro- + fluere (“to flow”).

proforma

Latin

From Latin pro forma, "for the sake of form".

profound

Latin

From Latin profundus, "deep," from pro- plus fundus ("bottom, foundation").

profoundly

Origin

From "profound" plus the adverb suffix "-ly."