Where does “proctor” come from?

Proctor comes from Middle English proctour, from Old French procuratour, from Latin procurator, meaning one who manages affairs for another, ultimately from Latin pro and cura, care.

proctor (English): A person who supervises students as they take an...

Definitions

  1. A person who supervises students as they take an...

Ancestry of “proctor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishproctour
2EnglishprocuratorA tax collector; An agent or attorney; A legal...
3Middle EnglishprocuratourAn agent or representative; an individual who acts for or represents another
4Anglo-Normanprocuratour
5Latinprōcūrātormanager, overseer, superintendent
6Latinprōcūrōto manage, administer
7Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
8Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós