Advertisement

Origin and history of professed

professed(adj.)

"openly declared, self-acknowledged," 1560s, past-participle adjective from profess. It was used earlier in a more specific sense of "having taken vows of a religious order" (late 14c.). Related: Professedly.

also from 1560s

Entries linking to professed

profess(v.)

early 14c., professen, "to take a vow" (in a religious order), a back-formation from profession or else from Medieval Latin professare, from professus "avowed," literally "having declared publicly," past participle of Latin profiteri "declare openly, testify voluntarily, acknowledge, make public statement of," from pro- "forth" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + fateri (past participle fassus) "acknowledge, confess" (akin to fari "to speak," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say").

The meaning "declare openly" is recorded from 1520s, "a direct borrowing of the sense from Latin" [Barnhart]. Related: Professed; professing.

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    aporia
    1580s, in rhetoric, "professed doubt as to where to begin," from Latin, from Greek aporia "difficulty, perplexity, want of...
    clientele
    1560s, "body of professed adherents, clients collectively under the patronage of someone," from French clientèle (16c.),...
    ostensible
    Meaning "apparent, professed, put forth or held out as real" is from 1771....
    servant
    Also in Middle English "professed lover, one devoted to the service of a lady" (mid-14c.)....
    agnostic
    invented what I conceived to be the appropriate title of 'agnostic,' ... antithetic to the 'Gnostic' of Church history who professed...
    profession
    The word implies professed attainments in special knowledge, as distinguished from mere skill; a practical dealing with affairs...
    canoodle
    back-room deals: The truth is, while cahoodling at the top of his bent for Taylor, to the friends of the other candidates he professed...
    admit
    late 14c., admitten, "let in," from Latin admittere "admit, give entrance, allow to enter; grant an audience," of acts, "let be done, allow, permit," from ad "to" (see ad-) + mittere "let go, send" (see mission). The sense of "concede in argument as valid or true" is recorded by
    take
    Middle English taken, from late Old English tacan "to grip, seize by force, lay hold of," from a Scandinavian source (such as Old Norse taka "take, grasp, lay hold," past tense tok, past participle tekinn; also compare Swedish ta, past participle tagit). This is reconstructed to
    confess
    late 14c., transitive and intransitive, "make avowal or admission of" (a fault, crime, sin, debt, etc.), from Old French confesser (transitive and intransitive), from Vulgar Latin *confessare, a frequentative form from Latin confess-, past participle stem of confiteri "to acknowl

    Share professed

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Dictionary entries near professed
    Advertisement