Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “profanely” come from?

Profanely derives from English profane, from Middle French prophane, from Latin profanus meaning "outside the temple," composed of the prefix pro- and a root related to Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- and per-.

profanely (English): In a profane manner, irreverently, with marked...

Definitions

  1. In a profane manner, irreverently, with marked...

Ancestry of “profanely”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishprofaneUnclean; ritually impure; unholy, desecrating a...
2Middle Frenchprophane—
3Latinprofānus—
4Latinprō-—
5Proto-Italic*pro-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →