Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “progressive” come from?

Progressive comes from Middle French progressif, from Latin progressivus, formed from the prefix pro- meaning "forward" and the verb root from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- meaning "to grow."

progressive (English): Favouring or promoting progress; advanced;...

Definitions

  1. Favouring or promoting progress; advanced;...

Ancestry of “progressive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchprogressifprogressive
2Latinprōgressīvus—
3Latinprōgredior—
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

Words derived from “progressive”

  • progressively
  • progressivism
  • progressiveness
  • progressivity
  • unprogressive
  • progressivist
  • nonprogressive
  • unprogressiveness
  • antiprogressive
  • improgressive
  • ultraprogressive
  • unprogressively
  • nonprogressively
  • pseudoprogressive
  • antiprogressivism
  • technoprogressive
  • non-progressive
  • progressiv
  • progresszív
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →