Where does “prowesse” come from?
prowesse (Middle English) comes from Old French proeche, from Old French preu, from Late Latin prode, from Latin prosum, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por- — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “prowesse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | proeche | chivalry; bravery; valour |
| 2 | Old French | preu | brave; valiant, chivalrous |
| 3 | Late Latin | prode | profitable, useful; useful; valuable |
| 4 | Latin | prosum | I am useful or of use, do good, help, benefit,... |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |