Where does “prophesy” come from?
Prophesy comes from Middle English prophecien, from Old French prophetie, from Latin prophetia, from Ancient Greek προφητεία, derived from προφήτης meaning one who speaks for a god, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pro- meaning before or forward.
prophesy (English): To speak or write with divine inspiration; to act...
Definitions
- To speak or write with divine inspiration; to act...
Ancestry of “prophesy”, step by step
prophesy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English prophecie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | prophecie | A prediction or prophecy; a religious... |
| 2 | Old French | prophetie | prophecy |
| 3 | Latin | prophētīa | prophecy, prediction |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | προφητεία | the interpretation of the will of the gods:... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | προφήτης | one who speaks for and interprets the will of a... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | φημί | I speak, say; I say yes, agree, affirm, assert |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | pʰā́mā | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂-meh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂- | to shine, glow light; to speak, say |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂-s-ri- | — |
via Middle French prophecier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | prophecier | — |