prestigious

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pɹɛˈstɪd͡ʒəs/, /pɹə-/ (UK); /pɹɛˈstiːd͡ʒəs/, /pɹɛˈstɪd͡ʒəs/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin praestīgiōsus (“full of tricks, deceitful”),^[2][3][4] from praestīgiae (“juggler's tricks”),^[2][3] probably altered by dissimilation from praestrigiae, from praestringō (“to blindfold, dazzle”), from prae (“before”) and stringō (“to bind”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Practising illusion or legerdemain; deceptive: 1546 in the OED, the 1540s in Etymonline;^[5][2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1534.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It was derogatory until the 19th century, and the Century Dictionary (1895) marked it obsolete.^[2] The positive sense, having or conferring prestige, is from 1913, influenced by prestige,^[2][5][4] a use the OED notes many preferred to avoid at first.^[5] The old sense of deceitful survives only rarely.^[6]

Timeline

• 1534 – prestigious (Merriam-Webster).^[3]
• 1546 – deceptive, juggling.^[5]
• 1895 – marked obsolete.^[2]
• 1913 – having prestige.^[2][5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Having high status or prestige; respected and admired.
2. (rare) Using deceit or illusion.

Word family

• prestigiously
• prestigiousness

Related words

• prestige
• prestidigitation
• strict

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins