"P" Word Origins

profoundness

Origin

From Middle English profoundnesse, equivalent to profound + -ness.

profundity

Origin

Inherited from Middle English profundite, from Middle French profondite or its etymon Latin profunditās; by surface analysis, prof(o)und + ity. Compare profoundness.

profuse

Origin

From Latin profusus.

profusely

Origin

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

profusion

Origin

From Middle French profusion, from Late Latin profusio.

progenitive

Origin

From Latin prōgenitus (past participle of prōgignō) + -ive.

progenitor

Origin

From Middle English progenitour, from Anglo-Norman progenitour, Middle French progeniteur (Modern French progéniteur), and their etymon Latin prōgenitor, from prōgenitus, perfect participle of prōgignere (“to beget”), itself from prō- (“forth”) + gignere (“to beget”). By surface analysis, pro- (“prior, fore-”) + genitor.

progeny

Latin

From Latin progenies, from progigno, "to beget, produce."

prognosis

Greek

From Greek prognosis, "foreknowledge," from pro- ("before") plus gnosis ("knowledge").

prognostication

Origin

From Old French pronosticacion, from Medieval Latin prognosticatio.

prograde

Origin

From pro- (“forward”) + -grade (“direction”).

program

Greek

From Greek programma, "a public notice," from pro- ("before") plus grapho ("to write").

programmer

Origin

From "program/programme" plus the agent suffix "-er."

programming

Origin

From "program/programme" plus "-ing."

progress

Latin

From Latin progressus, "an advance," from progredi, "to go forward" — pro- ("forward") plus gradi ("to walk, go").

progression

Latin

From Latin progressio, from progredi, "to advance."

progressive

Latin

From Latin progredior ("to advance") via French progressif, plus the adjective suffix "-ive."

progressively

Origin

From "progressive" plus "-ly."

progressivist

Origin

From progressive + -ist.

prohibit

Latin

From Latin prohibeo, "to hold back, prevent."

prohibition

Latin

From Latin prohibitio, from prohibeo, "to forbid, prevent."

project

Latin

From Latin proicio, "to throw forward," from pro- ("forward") plus iacio ("to throw").

projectile

Medieval Latin

From Latin proicio, "to throw forward," via Medieval Latin proiectilis.

projection

Latin

From Latin proiectio, from proicio, "to throw forward."

projectionist

Origin

From "projection" plus the agent suffix "-ist."

projector

Origin

From "project" plus the agent suffix "-or."

prole

Origin

From proletarian by shortening.

prolegate

Origin

From Latin prolegatus, from pro (“for”) + legatus (“legate”).

proletarian

Latin

From Latin proletarius, originally "a citizen too poor to contribute anything but children" to the state.

proletarianise

Origin

From proletarian + -ise.

proletarianism

Origin

From proletarian + -ism.

proletarianize

Origin

From proletarian + -ize.

proletariat

Latin

From French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius, "citizen of the lowest class."

proliferate

Origin

Back-formation from proliferation.

proliferation

Latin

From French prolifération, ultimately related to Latin roots meaning "to bear offspring" — the biological sense of cells multiplying came first, then it broadened to any rapid spread.

prolific

Latin · 1635

First recorded around 1635, from French prolifique, ultimately from Latin prōlēs ("offspring") plus -ficus ("making").

prolificacy

Origin

From its morphology, prolific + -acy.

prolix

Origin

From Old French prolixe, from Latin prōlixus (“stretched out; courteous, favorable”). The verb is derived from the adjective.

prolixity

Origin

From Old French prolixite, from Latin prolixitas. By surface analysis, prolix + -ity.

prologue

Latin

From Old French prologue, from Latin prologus, from Greek prólogos, built from pro- ("before") plus -logue ("speech").

prolong

Latin

From Old French prolonguer, from Latin prōlongāre — pro- ("forward") plus longus ("long"). A doublet of purloin.

prolongation

Origin

From Middle English prolongacioun, from Old French prolongation, from Late Latin prōlongātiō, from prōlongātus, perfect passive participle of Latin prōlongō, from prō + longus. By surface analysis, prolong + -ation.

prolusion

Origin

From Latin prolusio, from proludere (“to prelude”).

prom

Origin

A shortening of promenade.

promenade

French

Borrowed from French promenade, from promener ("to walk, to take for a walk").

promethean

Origin

The adjective is derived from Prometheus (“demigod in Greek mythology”) + -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming agent nouns). Prometheus is a learned borrowing from Latin Promētheus, and from its etymon Ancient Greek Προμηθεύς (Promētheús), from προμηθής (promēthḗs, “having forethought”) (from προ- (pro-, prefix meaning ‘before’) + μᾰνθᾰ́νω (mănthắnō, “to learn; to know, understand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to mind; to think”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to do; to place, put”), in the sense of putting one’s mind to something)) + -εύς (-eús, suffix forming a masculine noun of the person concerned with a thing). The noun is derived from the adjective.

Prometheus

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Προμηθεύς (Promētheús), from πρό ("before") + μανθάνω ("to think").

prominence

Latin

From obsolete French prominence, from Latin prominentia.