Etymologically
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president

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 01:37. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈprez.ɪ.dənt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English president, borrowed from Old French president and directly from Latin praesidēns (“president, governor”) (stem praesident-),[2][3][4] the noun use of the present participle of praesidēre (“to preside, govern, guard”),[2][5][4] from prae (“before”) and sedēre (“to sit”).[6][7] Merriam-Webster gives the route through Anglo-French.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who presides, a chief officer: before 1382, in the Wycliffe Bible.[3] In the late 14th century it also meant a ruler, especially one with judicial powers.[2]

Semantic evolution

Middle English already used it for the heads of religious houses, hospitals, almshouses and colleges;[2] the head of a college is a president from 1448.[3][9] It also meant the governor of a province or colony.[5] In America the chief officer of a colony was a president in Virginia in 1608,[2][3] and the presiding officer of the Continental Congress in 1774.[2][3] In their constitutions of 1776 Delaware, New Hampshire and South Carolina called their chief magistrates presidents, but later went back to governor.[2] From the presiding officer the title passed to the chief executive of the republic in the Constitution of 1787,[2][3] though Word Origins dates this sense to 1784.[6] The head of a learned society has been a president since 1660,[3] and of a bank since 1781.[2][3] Presidency is from 1591,[3] presidentess from 1763 and the slang prez from 1883.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1382 – one who presides (Wycliffe Bible).[3]
  • 1448 – head of a college.[3][9]
  • 1591 – presidency.[3]
  • 1608 – chief officer of an American colony.[3][2]
  • 1660 – head of a learned society.[3]
  • 1774 – presiding officer of the Continental Congress.[3]
  • 1781 – head of a bank.[2][3]
  • 1787 – chief executive of the United States.[2][3]
  • 1883 – prez.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person chosen to preside over a meeting, assembly or organized body.
  2. The chief executive of a republic, and in particular of the United States.
  3. The chief officer of a corporation, university, board or similar body.
  4. (historical) The governor of a province or colony.

Word family

  • presidentship
  • presidential
  • presidentially
  • ex-president
  • president-elect
  • president pro tempore
  • president pro tem
  • Presidents' Day
  • preside
  • presidency
  • resident
  • sedentary
  • sit

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)