prof
This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Pronunciation
- IPA: UK /prɒf/, US /prɑːf/[1]
Etymology
It is a colloquial shortening of professor.[2][3][4][5]
Earliest recorded meaning
Semantic evolution
It is used both of university teachers and attributively.[3] Collins marks it informal.[6]
Timeline
- 1838 – a professor.[3]
Modern meaning
Noun
- (informal) A professor.
Related words
- professor
- profess
Usage notes
The OED also records prof as an obsolete spelling of proof and prove.[3] The abbreviation Prof., before a name, stands for Professor.[6]
References
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins