Where does “profligate” come from?
Profligate comes from Latin profligatus, past participle of profligare, meaning to strike down or destroy, from fligere combined with the prefix pro-.
profligate (English): Inclined to waste resources or behave...
Definitions
- Inclined to waste resources or behave...
Ancestry of “profligate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | prōflīgātus | profligate |
| 2 | Latin | prōflīgō | to strike or dash to the ground |
| 3 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 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 |