Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “proe” come from?

proe (Middle French) comes from Italian prua, from Latin prōra, from Ancient Greek πρῷρα, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “proe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianpruaprow, bow
2Latinprōra—
3Ancient GreekπρῷραThe front part of a ship; bow, prow
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “proe”

  • prow
  • prowed
  • prowlike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →