Where does “profound” come from?
Profound comes from Middle English profound, from Anglo-Norman profound, from Old French profont, from Latin profundus meaning "deep," ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- meaning "bottom" or "base."
profound (English): Descending far below the surface; opening or...
Definitions
- Descending far below the surface; opening or...
Ancestry of “profound”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | profound | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | profound | Alternative spelling of profont |
| 3 | Old French | profont | deep; deep; profound |
| 4 | Old French | parfont | Alternative form of profont |
| 5 | Latin | profundus | deep, profound; intense, extreme, profound;... |
| 6 | Latin | prō | for |
| 7 | Latin | ratus | considered, having been considered; established,... |
| 8 | Latin | rēōr | to reckon, calculate |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | rēōr | to reckon, to calculate; to think, to deem, to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |