Where does “prosperous” come from?
Prosperous comes from Middle French prospereus, from Old French prosperer meaning to succeed, from Latin prosperare, derived from the adjective prosperus meaning favorable, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pro- and bʰuH-.
prosperous (English): characterized by success; well off; affluent;...
Definitions
- characterized by success; well off; affluent;...
Ancestry of “prosperous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | prospereus | — |
| 2 | Old French | prosperer | to favor; to be favorable |
| 3 | Latin | prosperō | to further (cause to succeed) |
| 4 | Old Latin | pro spere | according to expectation |
| 5 | Latin | pro | + "ablative"; for; on behalf of, in the interest... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |