Where does “prosper” come from?
Prosper comes from Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperare meaning "to make fortunate," derived from Latin prosperus "favorable," which combines Latin pro "forward" with a root from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- and per-.
prosper (English): To favor; to render successful; To be successful;...
Definitions
- To favor; to render successful; To be successful;...
Ancestry of “prosper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | prosperer | to favor; to be favorable |
| 2 | Latin | prosperō | to further (cause to succeed) |
| 3 | Old Latin | pro spere | according to expectation |
| 4 | Latin | pro | + "ablative"; for; on behalf of, in the interest... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |