Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “improve” come from?

Improve comes from Old French emprouwer, formed from the prefix en- and a root deriving through Latin in- and in from the verb sum meaning "to be," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi.

improve (English): To make better; to increase the value or...

Definitions

  1. To make better; to increase the value or...

Ancestry of “improve”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinimproboI disapprove; I blame, condemn, reject;...
2Latinprobō—
3LatinProbus—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-bhwo-being in front, prominent
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “improve”

  • improving
  • improver
  • improvable
  • unimprovable
  • improvability
  • improvingly
  • misimprove
  • improveth
  • unimprovably
  • improvableness
  • disimprove
  • improvest
  • improvably
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →