projection

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French projection, or its source Latin prōiectiō (“a throwing forward, a stretching out”),^[2][3][4] a noun of action from prōiectus, the past participle of prōiciō (“to throw forth, stretch out, jut out”),^[4][3][2] from prō- (“forward”) and iaciō (“to throw”), the verb behind project and jet.^[4][5] The French word is recorded from 1314, and in alchemy from 1587 in poudre de projection;^[2] the Latin noun also had the alchemical sense "transmutation" in medieval British sources.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In alchemy, the casting of an ingredient into a crucible, especially of the powdered philosopher's stone onto molten metal to turn it into gold or silver: a1550, in a copy of Thomas Norton's Ordinal of Alchemy (written about 1477).^[2][6] Etymonline and the Shorter Oxford date it to the late 15th century.^[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The alchemical sense was soon used figuratively of any transformation, until the 19th century.^[2][5] From 1551 projection was the drawing of a map or plan of a surface,^[2][6] the sense of the Mercator projection and other map projections.^[4] The literal sense "throwing forward" is recorded from 1599,^[2][3] a part that juts out from 1592,^[2][6] and between 1611 and 1872 the word also meant scheming or a plan.^[2][6] Johnson (1755) gave the senses "the act of shooting forwards" and "plan, delineation".^[7] The image cast on a surface (1687) led to the projection of photographs and films onto a screen (1897).^[2][6] In psychology it meant the localizing of a sensation (1887), then from 1909 the unconscious attribution of one's own feelings or desires to another person.^[6] The sense "forecast or estimate based on present trends" dates from 1935,^[6] and the conveying of an image of oneself to others, at first in the theatre, from 1952.^[6]

Timeline

• late 15th century – (alchemy) transmutation of metals.^[3][5]
• a1550 – (alchemy) the casting of an ingredient into a crucible.^[2]
• 1551 – the drawing of a map or plan.^[2][6]
• 1592 – a part that juts out.^[2]
• 1599 – the act of throwing forward.^[2]
• 1611–1872 – planning, scheming.^[2]
• 1687 – an image formed on a surface.^[2]
• 1889 – the carrying of a sound or voice to a distance.^[6]
• 1897 – the showing of pictures on a screen.^[6]
• 1909 – (psychology) attributing one's feelings to another.^[6]
• 1935 – a forecast from present trends.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An estimate or forecast of a future amount or situation based on present trends: Sales were well above the projections.
2. A part that sticks out beyond a surface; a protrusion.
3. The act of showing an image on a screen by means of light; also, the image shown.
4. A system for representing the curved surface of the earth or the sky on a flat map.
5. (geometry) The representation of a figure or solid on a plane as it would appear from a given direction.
6. (psychology) The unconscious attribution of one's own feelings, wishes or faults to another person.
7. The act of throwing or sending something forward; also, the carrying of a voice or sound to a distance.
8. (alchemy) The transmutation of a base metal into gold or silver.

Word family

• projectional
• projectionist
• Mercator projection

Related words

• project
• projective
• projector
• projectile
• eject
• inject
• jet

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
7. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.