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
- To make better; to increase the value or...
Ancestry of “improve”, step by step
improve traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin improbo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | improbo | I disapprove; I blame, condemn, reject;... |
| 2 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 3 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |