Where does “proselytize” come from?
Proselytize derives from English proselyte, which comes from French prose and Ancient Greek λύω meaning "to loosen," combined with the suffix -ίζειν to form a verb.
proselytize (English): To advertise one’s religious beliefs; to convert (someone) to one’s own faith or religious movement or encourage them to do so
Definitions
- To advertise one’s religious beliefs; to convert (someone) to one’s own faith or religious movement or encourage them to do so
Ancestry of “proselytize”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | proselyte | One who has converted to a religion or doctrine,... |
| 2 | English | prose | Language, particularly written language, not... |
| 3 | French | prose | prose; inflection of proser: ##... |
| 4 | Latin | prōsa | prose |
| 5 | Latin | prorsus | straightforward, right onwards, straight, direct;... |
| 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 |