Where does “professoress” come from?
professoress (English) comes from English Professor, from Anglo-Norman proffessur, from Latin professor, from Latin profiteor, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por- — passed , crossed.
professoress (English): A female professor
Definitions
- A female professor
Ancestry of “professoress”, step by step
professoress traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Professor
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Professor | The title for someone who holds the professor job |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | proffessur | one who professes |
| 3 | Latin | professor | teacher, professor |
| 4 | Latin | profiteor | I declare publicly, own or confess openly,... |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |