Etymologically
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proposal

Etymology and origin of the English word proposal

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1629
Ultimate origin
English (propose,-al)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /prəˈpəʊ.zəl/, US /prəˈpoʊ.zəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English propose + -al.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A plan or scheme put forward for acceptance: about 1629 in MWU, the 1650s in Etymonline;[3][2] stating or propounding something, 1653 in the OED, a sense now obsolete.[5][4]

Semantic evolution

An act of proposing something to be done, a plan or motion, is from 1657.[5] An offer is from 1673, now used only of an offer of marriage, which is by 1749.[5][2][4] A tender for a contract is from 1748, now American.[5][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1629 – first known use.[3]
  • 1653 – putting forward an idea.[5]
  • 1657 – a plan put forward.[5]
  • 1749 – an offer of marriage.[5][2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A plan or suggestion put forward for others to consider.
  2. The act of proposing something.
  3. An offer of marriage.

Word family

  • counterproposal
  • proposition
  • propose
  • pose

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Proposal.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/proposal. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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