Advertisement

Origin and history of process

process(n.)

early 14c., proces, "fact of being carried on" (as in in process), from Old French proces "a journey; continuation, development; legal trial" (13c.) and directly from Latin processus "a going forward, advance, progress," from past-participle stem of procedere "go forward" (see proceed).

Meaning "course or method of action, continuous action or series of actions or events" is from mid-14c.; sense of "continuous and regular series of actions meant to accomplish some result" (the main modern sense) is from 1620s. Meaning "a projection from the main body of something," especially a natural appendage, is from 1570s. Legal sense of "course of action of a suit at law, the whole of the proceedings in any action at law" is attested from early 14c.; hence due process "fair treatment" at law, considered as a right (mid-15c.).

process(v.1)

1530s, "begin legal action against, summon in a court of law," from French processer "to prosecute," from proces (see process (n.)). Meaning "prepare or treat by special process, subject to special process" is from 1881, from the noun in English. Of persons, "to register and examine," by 1935, in reference to the U.S. Army. Related: Processed; processing.

process(v.2)

"to go in procession," 1814, "A colloquial or humorous back-formation" from procession [OED]. Accent on second syllable. The earlier verb was procession (1540s).

also from 1814

Entries linking to process

proceed(v.)

late 14c., proceden, "to go, go on, move in a certain direction, go about one's business," also "to emanate from, result from; to issue or come, as from an origin or course," from Old French proceder (13c., Modern French procéder) and directly from Latin procedere (past participle processus) "go before, go forward, advance, make progress; come forward," from pro "forward" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + cedere "to go" (from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield"). Related: Proceeded; proceeding.

procession(n.)

late Old English, "set of persons walking or riding formally or with ceremonious solemnity; a religious procession; the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem," from Old French procession "procession" (religious or secular), 11c., and directly from Late Latin processionem (nominative processio) "religious procession," in classical Latin "a marching onward, a going forward, advance," noun of action from past-participle stem of procedere (see proceed). Meaning "act of issuing forth" from anything is late 14c. Related: Processionary.

Advertisement

More to explore

preprocess
also pre-process, "subject to preliminary processing," 1956, from pre- "before" + process (v.). Related: Preprocessed; preprocessing. Preprocessed foods are not only here but are gaining such a tremendous acceptance that soon there will be little else on the market. This elimina
treat
c. 1300, "negotiate, bargain, deal with," from Old French traitier "deal with, act toward; set forth (in speech or writing)" (12c.), from Latin tractare "manage, handle, deal with, conduct oneself toward," originally "drag about, tug, haul, pull violently," frequentative of trahe
march
"to walk with measured steps or a regular tread," either individually or as a body, early 15c., from Old French marcher "to stride, march, walk," originally "to trample, tread underfoot," a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Frankish *markon or some other Germanic source rela
ambrotype
the same, which process I have styled "ambrotype."...My improved process has reference to the art of taking pictures photographically on a film of collodion upon the surface...styled the process "ambrotype," from the Greek word ambrotos, immortal....Cutting, of Boston, in the United States of America, Photographer, for an Improved Process of taking Photographic Pictures...
gestation
"action or process of carrying young in the womb," 1610s, earlier (1530s) "riding on horseback, etc., as a form of exercise...Meaning "action or process of carrying young in the womb" is from 1610s....
hermetic
mystics, and alchemists with the Egyptian god Thoth as Hermes Trismegistos "Thrice-Great Hermes," who supposedly invented the process...of making a glass tube airtight (a process in alchemy) using a secret seal....
multiplication
mid-14c., multiplicacioun, "any increase in size, number, or amount; act or process of increasing in number," from Old French...The arithmetical sense of "process in which one number is considered as an operator on another" is attested from late 14c...
eminence
c. 1400, "projection, protuberance;" early 15c., "high or exalted position," from Old French eminence or directly from Latin eminentia "a distinctive feature, conspicuous part," from eminentem (nominative eminens) "standing out, projecting," figuratively, "prominent, distinctive,
citation
c. 1300, "summons, written notice to appear," from Old French citation or directly from Latin citationem (nominative citatio) "a command," noun of action from past participle stem of citare "to summon, urge, call; put in sudden motion, call forward; rouse, excite" (see cite). Mea
devolution
1540s, in reference to property, qualities, etc., "descent by natural or due succession," agent noun from devolve. Meaning "act of transferring or handing over" is from 1620s. Etymological sense "act of rolling down" (1620s) was rare in English and is archaic or obsolete. In biol

Share process

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near process
Advertisement