entry
progress
/ˈprɒɡres/movement or growth toward a desired state
From Latin pro (forward) + Latin grad (step).
from Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French progres (Modern French progrès ) and directly
+1 more sourceA Roman army wasn’t the only thing that could move in disciplined steps; so could an idea. Latin had prō, meaning 'forward,' and gradi, meaning 'to step,' and when they joined forces they made progressus, a neat little package for movement that was literally one foot after another. English picked it up through Old French progres in the early 1400s, when it could describe a royal journey — the sort of grand procession that rolled through town with flags, horses, and everyone staring. Later, the word stopped being only about travel and started doing the bigger job of describing improvement itself, which is why its cousins include regress, graduate, and grade: all the schoolroom and life-path words where steps really matter. Even the old native English word forþgang was pushed aside, which is fitting, because progress is a word that has always sounded like it knows where it’s going.
The Story
A Roman army wasn’t the only thing that could move in disciplined steps; so could an idea. Latin had prō, meaning 'forward,' and gradi, meaning 'to step,' and when they joined forces they made progressus, a neat little package for movement that was literally one foot after another. English picked it up through Old French progres in the early 1400s, when it could describe a royal journey — the sort of grand procession that rolled through town with flags, horses, and everyone staring. Later, the word stopped being only about travel and started doing the bigger job of describing improvement itself, which is why its cousins include regress, graduate, and grade: all the schoolroom and life-path words where steps really matter. Even the old native English word forþgang was pushed aside, which is fitting, because progress is a word that has always sounded like it knows where it’s going.
Kin & Kindred
From 'pro'·forward, forth
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'grad'·step, walk
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary