Online Etymology Dictionary

procreation (n.): late 14c., "process of begetting offspring," from Old French procreacion (14c., Modern French prócreation) and directly from Latin procreationem (nominative procreatio) "a begetting, generation," noun of action from past participle stem of procreare "bring forth" (offspring), "beget, generate, produce," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + creare "create" (see create).
Procrustean (adj.): 1846 in figurative sense, "violently making conformable to standard," from Procrustes, mythical robber of Attica who seized travelers, tied them to his bed, and either stretched their limbs or lopped of their legs to make them fit it. The name is Greek Prokroustes "one who stretches," from prokrouein "to beat out, stretch out," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + krouein "to strike."
proctalgia (n.): "pain in the ass," 1811, from medical Latin proct-, Latinized form of Greek comb. form of proktos "anus" (see proctology) + -algia.
proctology (n.): 1896, from Greek proktos "anus," from PIE *prokto- + -logy "study of." Related: Proctologist (1897).
proctor (n.): late 14c., contraction of procurator (c. 1300) "steward or manager of a household;" also "a provider" (see procurator). From late 14c. as "one who acts or speaks for another; spokesman, advocate;" early 15c. as "business manager or financial administrator of a church, college, holy order, etc."
proctor (v.): 1670s, from proctor (n.). Related: Proctored; proctoring.
procumbent (adj.): "leaning forward," 1660s, from Latin procumbentem (nominative procumbens), present participle of procumbere "to fall forward, fall prostrate," from pro "forward" (see pro-) + -cumbere "to lie down" (see succumb). Related: Procumbently.
procurable (adj.): mid-15c., from procure + -able. Related: Procurability.
procurator (n.): (c. 1300) "steward or manager of a household;" also "a provider" (late 13c. as a surname), from Old French procuratour "attorney, agent, proxy, spokesman" (13c., Modern French procurateur) or directly from Latin procurator "manager, overseer, agent, deputy," agent noun from past participle stem of procurare (see procure). Related: Procuracy; procuration; procuratory.
procure (v.): c. 1300, "bring about, cause, effect," from Old French procurer "care for, be occupied with; bring about, cause; acquire, provide" (13c.) and directly from Late Latin procurare "manage, take care of;" from pro- "in behalf of" (see pro-) + curare "care for" (see cure (v.)). Main modern sense "obtain; recruit" (late 14c.) is via "take pains to get" (mid-14c.). Meaning "to obtain (women) for sexual gratification" is attested from c. 1600. Related: Procured; procuring.
procurement (n.): c. 1300, "use of improper influence," from Old French procurement "management, stewardship" (13c.), from procurer (see procure). Meaning "process of bringing something about" (by the action of another) is from c. 1400. Military use by 1949, American English.
procurer (n.): late 14c., "advocate, spokesman," from Anglo-French procurour, Old French procureur (13c., Modern French procureur), from Latin procuratorem (see procurator). Meaning "contriver" is from mid-15c. Specifically of one who supplies women to gratify the lusts of another from 1630s. Fem. form procuress is shortened from Old French procureresse.
Procyon (n.): bright star in constellation Canis Minoris, 1650s, from Latin, from Greek prokyon, from pro "before" (see pro-) + kyon "dog" (see canine (n.)); so called from its rising just before the "Dog Star," Sirius. By Roman astronomers, sometimes Latinized as Antecanis.
prod (v.): 1530s, "to poke with a stick," of uncertain origin; possibly [Barnhart] a variant of brod, from Middle English brodden "to goad," from Old Norse broddr "shaft, spike" (see brad), or perhaps imitative [OED]. Figurative sense is recorded from 1871. Related: Prodded; prodding.
prod (n.): 1787, "pointed instrument used in prodding;" 1802, "act of prodding;" from prod (v.).
prodigal (adj.): mid-15c., a back-formation from prodigality, or else from Middle French prodigal and directly from Late Latin prodigalis, from Latin prodigus "wasteful," from prodigere "drive away, waste," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + agere "to drive" (see act (n.)). First reference is to prodigial son, from Vulgate Latin filius prodigus (Luke xv:11-32). As a noun, "prodigal person," 1590s, from the adjective (the Latin adjective also was used as a noun).
prodigality (n.): mid-14c., from Old French prodigalite (13c., Modern French prodigalité) and directly from Medieval Latin prodigalitatem (nominative prodigalitas) "wastefulness," from Latin prodigialis, from prodigus "wasteful" (see prodigal).
prodigious (adj.): 1550s, "ominous," from Middle French prodigieux and directly from Latin prodigiosus "strange, wonderful, marvelous, unnatural," from prodigium (see prodigy). Meaning "vast, enormous" is from c. 1600. Related: Prodigiously; prodigiosity.
prodigy (n.): late 15c., "sign, portent, something extraordinary from which omens are drawn," from Latin prodigium "prophetic sign, omen, portent, prodigy," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + -igium, a suffix or word of unknown origin, perhaps from *agi-, root of aio "I say" (see adage). Meaning "child with exceptional abilities" first recorded 1650s.
prodromal (adj.): 1717, from Modern Latin prodromus "a running forward" (see prodrome) + -al (1).
prodrome (n.): 1640s, from French prodrome (16c.), from Modern Latin prodromus, from Greek prodromos "a running forward, a sally, sudden attack," from pro- "forward" (see pro-) + dromos "a running" (see dromedary).
produce (v.): early 15c., "develop, proceed, extend," from Latin producere "lead or bring forth, draw out," figuratively "to promote, empower; stretch out, extend," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + ducere "to bring, lead" (see duke). Sense of "bring into being" is first recorded 1510s; that of "put (a play) on stage" is from 1580s. Related: Produced; producing.
produce (n.): "thing or things produced," 1690s, from produce (v.), and originally accented like it. Specific sense of "agricultural productions" (as distinguished from manufactured goods) is from 1745.
producer (n.): 1510s, "one who produces;" agent noun from produce (v.). Of entertainments, from 1891; in political economy, opposed to consumer, from 1784 (Adam Smith).
product (n.): early 15c., "mathematical quantity obtained by multiplication," from Medieval Latin productum, in classical Latin "something produced," noun use of neuter past participle of producere "bring forth" (see produce (v.)). General sense of "anything produced" is attested in English from 1570s.
production (n.): c. 1400, "a coming into being," from Old French production "production, exhibition" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin productionem (nominative productio), from past participle stem of Latin producere "bring forth" (see produce (v.)). Meaning "that which is produced" is mid-15c. Colloquial sense of "fuss, commotion" is from 1941, transferred from meaning "theatrical performance" (1894).
productive (adj.): 1610s, from French productif (16c.) and directly from Medieval Latin productivus "fit for production," from Latin product-, past participle stem of producere (see produce (v.)). Related: Productively; productiveness.
productivity (n.): 1809, "quality of being productive," from productive + -ity. An earlier word for this was productiveness (1727). Economic sense of "rate of output per unit" is from 1899.
proem (n.): late 14c., proheme "brief introduction, prelude," from Old French proheme (14c., Modern French proème), from Latin prooemium, from Greek prooimion "prelude" to anything, especially music and poetry, from pro- "before" (see pro-) + oimos "way" or oime "song."
prof (n.): colloquial shortening of professor, attested by 1838.
profanation (n.): 1550s, from Old French prophanation (15c., Modern French profanation) or directly from Late Latin profanationem (nominative profanatio), noun of action from past participle stem of profanare (see profane (adj.)).
profane (v.): late 14c., from Old French profaner, prophaner (13c.) and directly from Latin profanare "to desecrate, render unholy, violate," from profanus "unholy, not consecrated" (see profane (adj.)). Related: Profaned; profaning.
profane (adj.): mid-15c., "un-ecclesiastical, secular," from Old French profane (12c.) and directly from Latin profanus "unholy, not consecrated," according to Barnhart from pro fano "not admitted into the temple (with the initiates)," literally "out in front of the temple," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + fano, ablative of fanum "temple" (see feast (n.)). Sense of "unholy, polluted" is recorded from c. 1500. Related: Profanely.
profanity (n.): c. 1600, from Late Latin profanitas, from Latin profanus (see profane (adj.)). Extended sense of "foul language" is from Old Testament commandment against "profaning" the name of the Lord.
profer (v.): c. 1300, "to utter, express," from Old French proferer (13c.) "utter, present verbally, pronounce," from Latin proferre "to bring forth, produce," figuratively "make known, publish, quote, utter." Sense confused with proffer. Related: Profered; profering.
profess (v.): early 14c., "to take a vow" (in a religious order), a back-formation from profession or else from Old French profes, from Medieval Latin professus "avowed," literally "having declared publicly," past participle of Latin profiteri "declare openly, testify voluntarily, acknowledge, make public statement of," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + fateri (past participle fassus) "acknowledge, confess," akin to fari "to speak," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say" (see fame (n.)). Meaning "declare openly" first recorded 1520s, "a direct borrowing of the sense from Latin" [Barnhart]. Related: Professed; professing.
professed (adj.): "openly declared," 1560s, past participle adjective from profess. Earlier in a more specific sense of "having taken vows of a religious order" (late 14c.). Related: Professedly.
profession (n.): c. 1200, "vows taken upon entering a religious order," from Old French profession (12c.), from Latin professionem (nominative professio) "public declaration," from past participle stem of profiteri "declare openly" (see profess). Meaning "any solemn declaration" is from mid-14c. Meaning "occupation one professes to be skilled in" is from early 15c.; meaning "body of persons engaged in some occupation" is from 1610; as a euphemism for "prostitution" (compare oldest profession) it is recorded from 1888.
professional (adj.): early 15c., of religious orders; 1747 of careers (especially of the skilled or learned trades from c. 1793); see profession. In sports, opposed to amateur, from 1846. Related: Professionally.
professional (n.): "one who does it for a living," 1798, from professional (adj.).
professionalism (n.): 1846, from professional (adj.) + -ism.
professionalize (v.): 1833, from professional (adj.) + -ize. Related: Professionalized; professionalizing.
professor (n.): late 14c., "one who teaches a branch of knowledge," from Old French professeur (14c.) and directly from Latin professor "person who professes to be an expert in some art or science; teacher of highest rank," agent noun from profiteri "lay claim to, declare openly" (see profess). As a title prefixed to a name, it dates from 1706. Short form prof is recorded from 1838.
Professor. One professing religion. This canting use of the word comes down from the Elizabethan period, but is obsolete in England. [Thornton, "American Glossary," 1912]
professorial (adj.): 1713, from professor + -ial.
professorship (n.): 1640s, from professor + -ship.
proffer (v.): "to offer," late 13c., from Anglo-French profrier (mid-13c.), Old French poroffrir (11c.), from por- "forth" (from Latin pro-; see pro-) + offrir "to offer," from Latin offerre (see offer (v.)). Related: Proffered; proffering. As a noun from late 14c.
proficiency (n.): 1540s, probably from -cy + Latin proficientem (nominative proficiens), present participle of proficere "accomplish, make progress; be useful, do good; have success, profit," from pro- "forward" (see pro-) + root of facere "to make, do" (see factitious).
proficient (adj.): 1580s, back-formation from proficiency or else from Old French proficient (15c.), from Latin proficientem (nominative proficiens), present participle of proficere "to make progress, go forward, effect, accomplish, be useful" (see proficiency). Related: Proficiently.
profile (n.): 1650s, "a drawing of the outline of anything," from older Italian profilo "a drawing in outline," from profilare "to draw in outline," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + filare "draw out, spin," from Late Latin filare "to spin, draw out a line," from filum "thread" (see file (v.1)). Meaning "a side view" is from 1660s. Meaning "biographical sketch, character study" is from 1734.
profile (v.): 1715, "to represent in profile," from profile (n.) or Italian profilare. Meaning "to summarize a person in writing" is from 1948. Related: Profiled; profiling.