Where does “proofread” come from?
Proofread comes from English proof and read, where read derives from Middle English red, Old English rǣdan, Proto-Germanic raudaz, ultimately tracing through Latin probare and probus to Proto-Indo-European per-.
proofread (English): To check a written text for errors in spelling...
Definitions
- To check a written text for errors in spelling...
Ancestry of “proofread”, step by step
proofread traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English proof
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | proof | An effort, process, or operation designed to... |
| 2 | Middle English | proof | — |
| 3 | Old French | prove | — |
| 4 | Latin | proba | test, trial; proof, evidence |
| 5 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 7 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English read
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | read | To look at and interpret letters or other... |
| 2 | Middle English | reden | to counsel, advise; to study; to read |
| 3 | Old English | rǣdan | to read, interpret; to counsel, advise; plot,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | rādan | to advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaną | to decide, advise |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |